Venue: University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, Braga, Portugal
by: Professor Teresa Petersen, Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, NanoBiotechnology Group
Aalborg University, Denmark
Organized: Vasco Teixeira, CFUM-Centro de Física da Universidade do Minho

11 September

10.00-11.00 Conference: Nanobiotechnology, Nanomedicine, Biophotonics and Bioimaging: the new fascinating challenge!”

11:00-12:00 Introduction to Nanobiotechnology, Nanomedicine. Applications.

12 Septmeber,2008

9:30:10:45 Biosensor Development, Proteomics and biomarkers identification. Nanomedicine – Light based Therapy
11:00:13:00 Nanoscale Engineering of materials with light, Molecular lithography with light Ultrafast Spectroscopy. BioImaging,

Abstract:
Nanobiotechnology, Nanomedicine, Biophotonics and Bioimaging: the new fascinating challenge!

Nanotechnology is redefining fields like imaging, diagnosis, drug delivery, regenerative medicine and biomaterials as well as underpinning the development of new generations of medical products. Many of these advances will offer vastly improved outcomes for patients, therapies for hitherto difficult-to-treat diseases or conditions, improved manufacturing efficiency, or better use of valuable medical professional resources. The technology has already found its way into applications in healthcare including diagnostic imaging agents, drug delivery systems, body sensors, displays, high performance X-ray tubes, tissue engineering, microfluidics, lab on a chip, pathogen detection systems and compact electronic systems. Many new technologies are developed in academic environments and later may lead to spin out companies.
I would like to tell you about one such story and to bring my own experience to you: how have we started, what are the lines of research at the Nanobiotechnology group that led to this adventure and what is it that we have created that is new and allows new application in the field of nanotechnology, biophotonics and nanomedicine. Biophotonics and Bioinformatics studies have allowed us to develop a new photonic technology that allows to immobilize biomolecules onto surfaces with nm resolution. In fact, with photnics we are able to disrupt a 2Å S-S bond in proteins and react it chemically with surfaces. “Light Induced Molecular Immobilisation” technology has a vast range of applications in:
• Biosensor Development, Proteomics and biomarkers identification - Our new laser technology allows also for basic medical diagnostic upon the creation of ultra-dense multipotent microarrays and therapeutic applications. Currently we work with an array spatial resolution of 5 micron, 10 micron pitch leading to arrays with 104 spots inside a 1 mm2 sensor!! Using Fourier optics we have reached more than 106 spots inside a 1mm2 sensor.
• Nanomedicine - development of nanosized molecular carriers and drug delivery systems - Using the new technology we can coat magnetic nanoparticles with a protein layer, rendering this way the nanoparticles biologically active. The size of nanoparticle can provide some level of targetting (drug delivery into cells: gene therapy, cancer therapy).
• Nanomedicine – Light based Therapy – We have shown that modulation of the function of receptor proteins in response to UV light has lead to cancer cell apoptosis.
• Nanoscale Engineering of materials with light, Molecular lithography with light –immobilisation of biomolecules with any specific pattern of biomolecules onto a surface with diffraction limited resolution. Nanoscale Engineering of materials with UV light is a fascinating field that allows creating biocompatible material and ultra-dense protein based microarrays with nm resolution. As examples, we can refer to making matrices embedded with growth factors, biosensor materials, tissue compatible materials, etc. The spatial resolution of the technology is determined by the size of the beam of light and can reach the diffraction limit of the optical setup used (nm).
Ultrafast Spectroscopy studies have allowed us to unravel the reaction mechanisms trigger by UV light in biomolecules. In our lab we have followed fs, ps and ns lasting events that occur in proteins upon UV illumination and their dynamics. To finalise I would like to address BioImaging, crucial to any field of Nanotechnology. Image based information is rapidly becoming the most important way of communicating results and verifying diagnostic conclusions. The limits of what has become possible e.g. in terms of spatial resolution has revolutionized bio-imaging. Spatial features smaller than 100 nm can now be distinguished through ingenious data collection schemes. Careful computer analysis of multiple images makes this possible.

Teresa Neves Petersen
Associate Professor
Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, NanoBiotechnology Group, Aalborg University
Phone 0045 9940 7490
Email: tnp@nano.aau.dk
website: nanobio.dk