Fluoromag

DESCRIPTION

Advances in nanotechnology have led to the emergence of new fluorescent materials for antibodies and DNA labeling for precise diagnosis, like quantum dots.

The project of the consortium had two aims. The first was the development of other classes of still smaller NPs: fluorescent noble-metal “nanodots” and magnetic NPs. These materials are superior to conventional fluorophores in that they exhibit extreme photo- and chemical stability, with reduced toxicity and greater accessibility. They were derivatized and tested for specific recognition of biomolecules such as tumor markers (for breast cancer) and global viral disease (Hepatitis C and Dengue Fever). Other core-shell “onion-like” NPs developed by the partner in Santiago de Compostela have diverse and strong magnetic properties and were tested for their application in micro-chip and MRI diagnostics.

In a parallel effort, several of the partners had optimized the design and performance of a new type of high-speed, sensitive, optically sectioning microscope known as the Programmable Array Microscope (PAM), for use in both the basic research and medical communities. It has single-NP sensitivity, and is ideally suited for measurements of thick samples such as tissue slices and patterned arrays, important objects for diagnostic tests.

This project has ended with great success for NANOGAP, having managed to develop/optimize 7 magnetite products (4 especially important for diagnosis and 3 more oriented towards therapeutic applications) and 9 fluorescent Atomic Quantum Clusters (AQCs or M-M), all of them of great importance for molecular diagnosis.

Funding info

This project has received funding from the European Union FP6 R&D program under contract number 037465

Consortium members

• MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FÖRDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN E.V.
• UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE
• UNIVERSIDAD DE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
• NOTTINGHAM TRENT UNIVERSITY
• CAIRN RESEARCH LTD.
• NANOGAP