Smart surfaces: nanostructured and bioinspired systems for the investigation of molecular interactions in membrane models and for the production of devices for biosensors and environmental analysis

Abstract

In this project, we intended to incorporate bioactive materials, synthetic or natural, on nanostructured bioinspired surfaces, including Langmuir monolayers, Langmuir-Blodgett films and layer-by-layer films. Some candidates are those with high pharmacological interest, associated with events that occur in cell membranes, either by simply destroying the cell membrane as for antimicrobial and antifungal activities, or by acting on cellular mechanisms associated with biochemical events such as signaling and cellular transport, characterizing their expression in microbes and tumor cells. Also, we intended to immobilize enzymes, antibodies and pieces of nucleic acids in nanostructured films to investigate the properties of these substances in terms of molecular recognition, and the possibility of incorporating them in a bioinspired system. For that, substances that assist in the molecular accommodation increasing the biological activity can be studied. Some candidates are polysaccharides and carbon nanotubes. In this sense, we emphasize the strong interaction that the applicant already has with groups within the institution, specialists in obtaining bioactive materials, and experts in molecular biology. This project therefore aims at studying smart surfaces constructed from bioinspired interfaces organized at the molecular level. (AU)