3D integrated platforms for high throughput and multiple detection

Molecular recognition is one of the key aspects in cell-cell and cell-environment communication. As cells may sense individual and diverse molecules, the design of novel biosensors may be inspired by the molecular interactions occurring at the cell membrane level.

Exploiting such strategy may allow the creation of sensing devices characterized by high sensitivity and throughput. Recent advances in materials science have provided innovative processing procedures which allow a tight control over material chemical, physical and morphological properties.

Moreover, nanotechnologies have proved the feasibility of encoding signals at a molecular level and with high spatial resolution onto material platforms. This body of knowledge may be tremendously helpful in the field of proteomic, genomics and post genomics, offering solutions to tackle important practical aspects: cost reduction; improve the consistency of the analyses; increase data throughput; enhance spatial resolution. For instance the combination of materials science and nanotechnology has allowed the design and the realization of micro-devices to detect complex array of molecules of diagnostic interest.

Research activities that will be undertaken during this project concern the determination of innovative and specifically screened molecules to be used as sensor moieties toward customized biomolecules and the development of technologies for the integration of such molecular sensors into scaffolding materials especially designed for their effective presentations.