The Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials- CIC biomaGUNE, is a non-profit research organization created to promote scientific research and technological innovation in the Basque Country (Spain). CIC biomaGUNE develops high-level research at the interface between chemistry, physics, and biology, with particular emphasis on the properties and applications of nanostructures at the biomolecular level.
In particular, the Biomolecular Nanotechnology group led by Prof. Aitziber L. Cortajarena, focuses on the engineering of biomolecules towards the generation of functional nanostructures and bioinspired materials for applications in nanobiotechnology and nanomedicine. Within the group principal investigator Dr. Valery Pavlov leads the Biosensing research line involved in DeDANed. He has extensive experience in selection and synthesis of DNA aptamers for several target proteins and its application for development of highly sensitive and specific analytical assays.
Our contribution to the DeDNAed project will be the design, synthesis, and characterization of different sensing biorecognition elements (antibodies and DNA aptamers) in pure state and modified with metallic and semiconductor atomic clusters. We will also design, synthesize, and provide metallic nanoparticles of different size and shape as amplifiers of optical read out signals.