BrainMap

Ioana Brezestean

Scientific Researcher III - INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE

Researcher -

Researcher

My scientific experience, starting from the Masters’ Degree to present time, has mostly focused on three main directions: (i) synthesis and characterization of AgNPs by chemical methods (Lee Meisel and Hydroxylamine) for the detection of molecules with significant impact in the field of environmental safety, (ii) use of modern up-to-date Raman spectrometers for spectroscopic measurements: pesticides/toxins, biological samples, as well as composite material samples: polymers doped with different types of graphene and non-graphene materials with 2D structures, (iii) fabrication of nanostructures and high quality metallic thin films using techniques such as NIL, MBE and MS for obtaining SERS substrates for the detection of pesticides at low concentrations.

Curriculum Vitae (06/09/2023)

Expertise & keywords

SERS nanoplatform for neurodegenerative diseases diagnostic using bioinspired 3D hierarchical nanostructures Call name: P 1 - SP 1.1 - Proiecte de cercetare pentru stimularea tinerelor echipe independente - TE-2021
PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2021-0753 2022 - 2024

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M

Project partners: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website: https://www.itim-cj.ro/PNCDI/nanedissers/

Abstract:

In today’s society, the need for more rapid, sensitive, specific and accurate new diagnosis methods for neurodegenerative disorders is critical due to the aging of the population. The main objective of “NanedisSERS” is to develop a new and improved surface-enhanced Raman scattering SERS-based flexible nanoplatform for the noninvasive detection of neuro-biomarkers at trace level concentrations. We propose a joint use of zinc oxide (ZnO) and silver (Ag) materials to fabricate bioinspired, innovative 3D nanoplatforms using modern fabrication techniques. Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) will be employed to fabricate periodic bioinspired nanopatterns on flexible and transparent substrates. The innovative 3D hierarchical SERS active substrate will consist in the deposition of ZnO and Ag thin films using Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) and Magnetron Sputtering (MS) methods. The originality of the proposal lies in the joint exploitation of top-down (NIL) and bottom-up (PLD, MS) approaches with real time and ultrasensitive SERS detection to maximize the detection sensitivity, specificity and decrease overall cost, (ii) the bioinspired arrangement of high-density hotspots decorated with SERS active ZnO@Ag heterostructures and (iii) direct use as a simple and accessible tool of neurological biomarkers’ SERS detection. The proposed SERS diagnosis platform could have a ground breaking impact and can arise as a viable complementary technological candidate to the traditional diagnostic tools.

Gold nanourchin (GNU)-based SERS microfluidic immunosensor for the early detection of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) relevant biomarkers Call name: P 1 - SP 1.1 - Proiecte de cercetare pentru stimularea tinerelor echipe independente - TE-2021
PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2021-0234 2022 - 2024

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M

Project partners: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website: https://sites.google.com/view/aldibisensers/home

Abstract:

This project focuses on the development of a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based microfluidic sensor that makes use of the unique physical properties of gold nanourchins (GNUs) as efficient SERS-amplifiers, induced due to their spiky geometry. The specificity of the system is ensured by the employment of antibodies as molecular recognition moieties, which have the inherent property of binding the target antigen with high affinity. Herein, we aim to detect and quantify Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) specific biomarkers at concentrations that are relevant for early (pre-symptomatic) diagnosis, from biological samples that can be collected non-invasively, such as saliva, urine, or plasma. The miniaturisation of such a detection device through implementation in a microfluidics platform can offer advantages like low sample volume, short reaction time, robustness, reliability, and portability, with the potential for implementation as point-of-care devices.

Eco-friendly nanocomposites based on bio-PA and bio-fillers for injected auto parts Call name: P 2 - SP 2.1 - Proiect experimental - demonstrativ
PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2021-0795 2022 - 2024

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Chimie si Petrochimie - ICECHIM Bucuresti

Project partners: Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Chimie si Petrochimie - ICECHIM Bucuresti (RO); INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website: https://icechim.ro/project/econano4auto/

Abstract:

The ECONANO4AUTO project offers an innovative and efficient solution for the field of smart specialization - Energy, environment and climate changes, namely reducing the CO2 footprint and accumulations of polymeric waste, by developing of new and innovative technology for obtaining of new polymer bio-nanocomposites based on bio-PA and keratin/ nanoparticle hybrids, lightweight and with improved thermal and mechanical properties. Starting from high-performances bio-PA10,10 and a natural waste (chicken feathers) the project will provide at the end a viable, low cost and eco-friendly solution for effective using of chicken feathers and reducing of impact on environmental pollution. The developed technology will be validated in laboratory conditions to obtain parts by injection moulding. A toxicological study will be carried out regarding the nanomaterials action on the epidermal and pulmonary cells and a methodological guide will be elaborated regarding the prevention of the risks related to the work with nanoparticles. The partnership for this project involves 2 R&D National Institutes, well known in Romania and abroad, competent in the project field and with scientific and technical potential for development and characterization the new technology for obtaining bio-polymer nanocomposites.

Nanostructured microfluidic analytical platform for dual SERS-electrochemical detection of emerging environmental pollutants Call name: EEA Grants - Proiecte Colaborative de Cercetare
RO-NO-2019-0517 2020 - 2024

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M

Project partners: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M (RO); UNIVERSITATEA DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE "IULIU HATIEGANU" (RO); SINTEF AS (NO); NANOM MEMS SRL (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website: https://www.itim-cj.ro/polsens/

Abstract:

Environmental contamination with pesticides causes negative impact on soil, water, and whole ecosystems. Studies evidenced links between pesticides and diseases such as Parkinson’s, prostate cancer, immune depression, allergies, and others in population groups heavily exposed to pesticides. Chronic exposure to low levels of pesticides also raises toxicity concerns. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are a class of very dangerous pollutants, capable of long-range transport, bio-accumulation in human and animal tissue, and bio-magnification in food chains. In such an exposed environment almost everyone has POPs in their body, including newborns or even embryos. Highly accessible analytical platforms for fast, selective and decentralized detection of dangerous chemicals are therefore of very high demand.

Within this project we propose to develop sensing platforms able to detect environmental pollutants by simultaneous optical spectroscopy and electrochemistry. A nanostructured plasmonic chip will be the core of the spectro-electrochemical sensor combining the advantages of highly specific and sensitive surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to the versatility, portability, and low costs of electrochemical (EC) sensing. The dual SERS-EC sensing platform will be integrated in a microfluidic system, in order to benefit from reproducible measurements due to highly defined environment, easy handling of small sample volumes, high throughput detection, and even sample preparation and mixing procedures in continuous flow. Additionally, a second dual sensing cell based on common spectrophotometer cuvettes, for ml-scale sample volumes will be developed. The proof of concept will be demonstrated on organohalide pesticide endosulfan, an emerging pollutant (EP) selected from the new POPs list of the Stockholm Convention and the JRC Watch List. Extending the adaptability of the proposed sensing platform to the detection of other environmental pollutants (e.g. lamda-cyhalotrin, thiabendazole) will be also pursued. Our research aims to provide sensing platforms by which these substances can be detected in surface waters samples and also to contribute to the scientific data regarding POPs accumulation and distribution. The design and experimental development of the SERS-electrochemical sensor aims for device portability for field (in-situ) applications, such as monitoring EPs in surface waters at critical sites (e.g. in the vicinity of a possible pollution source).

To overcome the involved scientific and technical challenges and achieve the proposed objectives, a diverse range of expertise, skills and infrastructure capacities are combined: optical simulations and experiments, nanofabrication, microsystems technologies and microfluidics, advanced characterisation tools, plasmonics, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, DFT calculations, electrochemistry, gas chromatography, chemometric tools. The proposed consortium is a highly trained and experienced one, relatively young, and with a very good gender balance. No ethical issues implying human or animal testing are raised by the implementation of this project.

High-throughput nanoscreening platform for SERS monitoring of latest generation antibiotics’ activity on antibiotic-resistant pathogens at single-cell level Call name: P 1 - SP 1.1 - Proiecte de cercetare pentru stimularea tinerelor echipe independente
PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2019-0910 2020 - 2022

Role in this project:

Coordinating institution: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M

Project partners: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M (RO)

Affiliation:

Project website: https://sites.google.com/view/antibresissers/

Abstract:

We propose an alternative to traditional diagnosis of infections based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) which involves collecting a sample from the patient, which is further put in contact with a silver spot laser induced, resulting in scattering and recording the spectral fingerprint of the pathogen, if present. By comparing the obtained fingerprint with standard spectral fingerprints from existing databases, the pathogens may be identified at strain level within minutes. Obtaining an antibiogram is the final step, which can be assessed in maximum of a couple of hours. This method may enable an effective and targeted infection treatment, and may reduce significantly the mortality rate, especially in infants, given by the increasingly number of aggressive strains.

The proposed nanoscreening platform offers a unique approach that is different from other medical techniques utilized nowadays for the screening of pathogens in routine clinical work. It combines SERS for the ultrasensitive molecular fingerprinting of pathogens with microfluidics for their isolation. Moreover, we intend to comprehensively implement additional computational tools in order to achieve a full understanding of the pathogens’ mechanism of resistance. This issue will be pursued by using optimized, in-house developed statistical model for identification, discrimination and classification of pathogens and quantum chemistry molecular modelling tools. The main advantages of the proposed SERS-based nanoscreening platform are that it is rapid, label free (no use of antigens, receptors, dyes or other specific labels is required), cost-effective, reliable, portable and ultrasensitive.

Once we succeed to tackle the connection between the resistance behavior of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and their spectral fingerprint monitored in real time by using our proposed methodology, we will be able to move forward and to influence point-of-care routines for sepsis.

Emerging technologies for the industrial capitalization of 2D structures (graphene and nongraphenic) Call name: P 1 - SP 1.2 - Proiecte complexe realizate in consorții CDI
PN-III-P1-1.2-PCCDI-2017-0387 2018 - 2021

Role in this project: Key expert

Coordinating institution: Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Chimie si Petrochimie - ICECHIM Bucuresti

Project partners: Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Chimie si Petrochimie - ICECHIM Bucuresti (RO); UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI (RO); INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU FIZICA LASERILOR, PLASMEI SI RADIATIEI - INFLPR RA (RO); INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M (RO); UNIVERSITATEA DIN CRAIOVA (RO)

Affiliation: INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE DEZVOLTARE PENTRU TEHNOLOGII IZOTOPICE SI MOLECULARE I N C D T I M (RO)

Project website: http://icechim-rezultate.ro/proiect.php?id=49

Abstract:

EMERG2Ind is a complex solution that responds to the needs of Romanian research on one side through a institutional management and development mechanism, but at the same time it is a complex interface tool for the Romanian automotive industry as a development engine and integrator for the horizontal and vertical integration of the Romanian economic resources. International expertise is available in an attempt to develop concrete solutions in the country. Emerging technologies are being developed up to TRL4 and TRL5, through complementary harmonization of three strategic subprojects. The complex project approach is regional and institutional with cumulative indicators that fully meet the requirements and seeks to maximize the use of the funding instrument.

FILE DESCRIPTION	DOCUMENT
List of research grants as project coordinator or partner team leader
Significant R&D projects for enterprises, as project manager
R&D activities in enterprises
Peer-review activity for international programs/projects