The development of new complex chemical systems for industrial application, such as chemical sensors or new materials for controlled release, requires a multidisciplinary approach; including knowledge of fields such as analytical, organic and inorganic chemistry, electronics and engineering. The Research Group on Organic Materials for Detecting and Controlled Release, MODeLiC, of the Universitat de València, mainly works on two research lines:

1. Synthesis, characterisation and assessment of chemical sensors for the detection of all kinds of small species with environmental and biomedical applications. In this field, the group has been working in recent years on the design and assessment of sensors, mainly colorimetric and fluorometric, for the detection of chemical warfare agents (nerve gases). Over the last few years, work on sensors for this type of agents has aroused great interest in the international community as the existing methods are expensive and require specialised personnel, which makes their use complicated in situations of attack with this type of agents on civilians. The group’s second area of interest is the detection of pollutant gases. The area of application in this case is both industrial and in public environments. Within this section, the group is working on sensor preparation for nitrogen oxides, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen sulphide and other pollutant gases. It is noteworthy that some of these gases (nitric oxide, hydrogen sulphide) are species found in cells and are responsible for certain biological responses. For this reason, work is also being done on the assessment of the sensory response of prepared compounds in cells. More recently, work has been carried out on the preparation of colorimetric sensors for the detection of chemical submission drugs (particularly, GHB) in beverages. The prepared sensors are able to recognise the presence of the drug in all types of drinks. These sensors can be used “in situ” by anyone as they are easy to use, safe and selective.

2. Design and characterisation of materials for the controlled release of drugs, highlighting applications in the treatment of osteoporosis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s syndrome and the detection and treatment of solid tumours (hypoxic environments). One of the current challenges raised in drug development is to find new methods or delivery systems that represent more effective and safer alternatives than the pharmaceutical forms already available. Therefore, in many cases, it is advisable to look for alternative dosage forms that allow better access of the drug to its place of action. In order to improve the control of drug release, our group employs a new approach consisting of the preparation of “smart materials” that are regulated by external stimuli. The design of nano- or micromaterials functionalised with molecular gates is a very fertile and promising area of work that is taking traditional coordination chemistry and supramolecular chemistry to the boundaries of nanoscience, molecular biology and biochemistry. These systems are inspired by bio-channels and bio-gates and generally by biological processes that originate transformations triggered by specific chemical species. The study of this release model can be applied to a large number of pathologies, but our group is studying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This disease includes two related pathologies, ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Furthermore, the preparation of theranostic materials is a research field that is arousing more interest every day. These materials allow simultaneous detection of a pathology and its treatment. In this field, organic-inorganic hybrid materials have proven to be a very useful alternative for obtaining this type of compounds.

Contributors:

• Paula Rodrigo Martínez - Universitat de València.

Technical testing and analysis