Research

The CTB group is the result of a joint effort and shared vision between two distinct units operating within the National Research Council of Italy at the Institute of Chemical Science and Technology (SCITEC-CNR) based in Milano. Our goal is to provide a multidisciplinary group with a broad and comprehensive expertise, enabling us to respond to unmet challenges in applied biosciences.

We work at the crossroads of chemistry, biology and technology with strong translational components towards medicine and diagnostics.

The group is composed by chemists and molecular biologists and has a consolidated expertise in polymers and surface chemistry, peptide science, supramolecular chemistry and nanomaterials, innovative bioassays for proteins and DNA. We deliver new materials and advanced methodologies for a wide range of applications in biosensing and diagnostics including tools for the exciting field of extracellular vesicles analysis.

– Fully automated peptide synthesizer (Biotage-ALSTRA) for microwave assisted solid-phase peptide synthesis with UV-monitoring

– HPLC instruments for product analysis and purification (Shimadzu); CD, FTIR, UV and Fluorescence Spectroscopy (Jasco); Full access to the MS and NMR facilities

– Reactors for synthesis of monomers and polymers; Plasma Cleaner (Harrick Plasma); Contact Angle measurement apparatus (KSV Instruments) equipped with a CAM 200 camera

– Complete platform for microarrays production including:

• Computerized spotting system based on piezoelectric dispensing (Scienion SciFlexArrayer S12)
• Three fluorescence scanners (Perkin Elmer ScanArray Express, Tecan PowerScanner, Innopsys Innoscan 710)

– Two low-mag Interferometric Reflectance Imaging Sensors (IRIS) prototypes (for dry and in-liquid measurement); One chemiluminescence imager prototype

– Instrumentation for slab gel, capillary (Beckman Coulter) and microchip electrophoresis (Agilent Bioanalyzer); Basic equipment for molecular biology and protein biochemistry

– Western Blotting workflow equipped with Bio-Rad ChemiDoc

– Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis System (NTA) Nanosight NS300 equipped with Green Laser module

– Microarray platform for sizing, counting and phenotyping of extracellular vesicles with 3 color fluorescence biomarker colocalizations  ExoView R100 (Nanoview)

– Quanterix SR-X Single Molecule detection system