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Speaker: Gaetano Scamarcio - Cnr Nano
Title: "Nanostructured and Functionalized Surfaces for Single-Molecule Detection".
Abstract:
The development of large-area devices capable of reaching the physical limit of single-molecule detection [1] opens up new challenges for understanding nanoscale collective phenomena and advancing "one-health" technologies that integrate multiple fields of nanoscience. [2] By utilizing bio-functionalized surfaces and nanostructures, we can amplify and measure signals generated by single antibody-antigen bonds. [3] In addition to fully electronic transistor-like devices, [4] recent advances in opto-electronic Raman transduction in graphene-based two-terminal devices have shown great promise. [5] The study of these amplification phenomena requires a multidisciplinary approach, combining experimental techniques like Kelvin-probe atomic force microscopy, [6] polarization-modulation and evanescent wave infrared spectroscopy, [7] along with advanced theoretical models. Our research on molecular monolayers and their transitions between metastable states is opening new avenues for early-stage diagnostics, particularly for detecting biomarkers of diseases such as pancreatic cancer, Covid and Xylella. [8]
[1] Single-molecule detection with a millimetre-sized transistor, E. Macchia et al., Nat. Commun. (2018) https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05950-z
[2] Point-Of-Care Ultra-Portable Single-Molecule Bioassays for One-Health, E. Macchia et al., Adv. Mat. (2024) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adma.202309705
[3] Electric Field Cycling of Physisorbed Antibodies Reduces Biolayer Polarization Dispersion, C. Di Franco et al., Adv. Science (2024) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202412347
[4] A Single-Molecule Bioelectronic Portable Array for Early Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer Precursors, E. Genco et al., Adv. Mat. (2023) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adma.202304102
[5] Graphene-Based Opto-Electronic Platform for Ultra-Sensitive Detection of Biomarkers at 100 Zeptomolar Concentration, M. Piscitelli et al., Small Methods (2025), in press.
[6] Extended Work Function Shift of Large-Area Biofunctionalized Surfaces Triggered by a Few Single- Molecule Affinity Binding Events, C. Di Franco et al., Adv. Mat. Int. (2022) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/admi.202201829
[7] 𝜷-Sheets Orientation in Physisorbed Protein Layers, M. Piscitelli et al., Adv. Mat. Int. (2024) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/admi.202400867
[8] Large-Area Interfaces for Single-Molecule Label-free Bioelectronic Detection, E. Macchia et al., Chem. Rev. (2022) https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00290
Host: Fabio Taddei