Projects

Project employs the prominent physical, chemical and biological attributes of luminescent nanodiamond particles (NDPs). The internal structure of nanodiamonds allows the incorporation of defects such as NV centres (pairs of nitrogen and vacancy) that produce stable and strong luminescence, showing no photobleaching or photoblinking in comparison to QDs or fluorescent labels. Additionally, the proportion of NV⁰/NV^- photoluminescence can be driven, by alternating of the surface chemical potential induced by interacting atoms and molecules near the diamond surface. This phenomenon allows construction of optical chemo-biosensors operable on molecular level. The unique surface bonding architecture can be used for grafting of therapeutic and target biomolecules (saccharides, peptides, proteins and oligonucleotides).

Another important property of NDPs is low polydispersity and ability to penetrate into intracellular compartments without cytotoxic side-effects. This project deals with fabrication of NDPs having high density of NV^- centres, their surface functionalization suited for employing common ligation techniques, preparation of properly functionalized biomolecules and their grafting onto NDPs. The fabrication of NDPs with high population of NV^- centres that produce intensive luminescence with emission wave length at 637 nm, which is essential for bioimaging, is solved in collaboration with Dr. Jan Štursa’s team from Nuclear Physics Institute AS CR.

The other subjects of our scientific interest are self-assembly lipid nanostructures surface modified with molecular vectors and their applications in targeted chemo- and immunotherapy. Our team is also engaged in the process of transfer research results achieved in the field of non-pyrogenic normuramyl glycopeptides having significant immunostimulatory activities to clinical practice. This task is solved in collaboration with commercial partners.