Main researcher: Ángel Maquieira Catalá
Team members
- Biosensors and immunosensors development
Immunosensors with fluid are developed, based on competitive heterogeneous formats, with different transducers, which can be applied to the determination in continuous of one or several compounds, with order sensibilities of the μg/ L order operative live of 600 regeneration cycles.
Biosensors are biochemical systems based on the instrumental determination of an analyte, which is detected through its interaction with an specific receptor, generally a system with a great capacity of molecular recognition (i.e. enzyme, antibody, etc.). Bio sensors are characterised by their selectivity in the response, sensitivity, portability and economy of means.
Among the different types of biosensors, the IDM works in the development of enzymatic and immunosensors biosensors for pesticide residues and other contaminants such as antibiotics applied to environmental and agro-food issues.
- Reshaping of immunochemical essays
This line has as the main purpose the development of immunochemical methods for the determination of analytes of low molecular weight .
The research ranges from the design of reagents, preparation of polyclonal antibodies and other immunoreactive, assay formats and media work, until the reshaping and validation of the methodology developed. All this, applied to environmental agro-food and clinical issues
Immunochemical assays are analytic qualitative and quantitative methods which are based on the exceptional qualities of molecular recognition of the antibodies. An antibody can specifically detect a substance in a heterogeneous mixture of similar compounds contained in water or complex matrices such as grounds, foods, etc. This capacity is the base on which the immunoassays are developed, especially of low molecular weight such as organic contaminants, medicaments, pesticides and other plant products. The reshaping of immunoassays require the synthesis of different reagents and the production of antibodies from which a wide specific collection is provided.
- Development of methodologies of matrices of DNA and proteins in interactive supports type CD
This new research line is tacked to develop assays based on the molecular recognition applied to genomics and proteomics. Concretely, generic expression essays, analysis of multi-parametric polymorphism and immunoassays about compact discs such as CD, CD-R and DVD. It has the technology of data processing of discs surface, reactive fluids system and authorised assays development as well as a system of detention and recording of results based on technology of CD readers/reproducers. Researches are covered by two international patents.
Most of the techniques used both in Geometrics and Proteomics are required to detect simultaneity the presence of an endless number of substances (oligonucleotides, nucleic acid fragments, proteins, etc.) in a complex mixture and with big quantities of minimum samples. This has forced the development of screening methods based on microarray techniques in which different probes with an elevated density are fixed on a solid support. The format, known as microarraying, has given place to what is known as gene-chips and it is fundamentally used for effectuating assays of generic expression, polymorphism recognition, etc., applied both in basic research and reshaping of essays of clinic diagnosis in humans, plant pathology, food security, etc.
