Team

Monitoring and prevention strategies regarding biofilm in industrial water systems; special emphasis on the development of integrated early-warning approaches towards Legionella mitigation.

Development of microparticles with immobilized biocide.

PRESAGE Project: Development of durable microparticles with stable biocidal activity along time, for polishing in wastewater treatment systems.

LegioFilms: Understanding the role of biofilm architecture in Legionella colonization and risk of detachment in hospital networks using an integrated monitoring approach.

The work consists on testing the antibiofilm potential of several surfaces against common bacteria found on the medical field.

The use of Escherichia coli biofilms for the production of recombinant proteins and other high added-value compounds

Use of Escherichia coli biofilms for the production of recombinant proteins and other compounds with high added value

Testing modified surfaces for application in medical devices, with the main aim to reduce bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.

Engineered smart materials for cancer diagnosis and therapy: production of carbon-based composites to control bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.

Application of carbon nanomaterials, namely graphene, to minimize bacterial adhesion and biofilm development.

Development of novel hybrid natural-based drugs to treat bacterial biofilm infections.

Development of strategies for the prevention and control of biofilms; effect of emerging contaminants on drinking water bacteria behavior

Development of strategies for the prevention and control of DW biofilms. Antibiotic resistance, bacterial virulence, adhesion and biofilm formation ability of emerging pathogens detected in DW.

Development of strategies for the prevention and control of biofilms; effect of emerging contaminants on drinking water bacteria behavior

Removal of microplastics from wastewaters by microalgae-based systems.

Formulation of innovative natural-based combinations to counteract biofilm-associated chronic wound infections.

Understanding the impact of parabens on drinking water bacterial biofilms

Microalgae’s growth optimization in different effluents in suspension and biofilm.

Use of photodynamic therapy in functionalized natural polysaccharides to enhance antimicrobial activity and evaluate the inactivation mechanism.

Development of natural-based combinations and biomaterials directed for the healing of biofilm-associated chronic wound infections

Microalgae’s growth optimization in different effluents in suspension and biofilm.

e.Biofilm: innovation in biofilm control. Engineered biofilms in industrial systems. Legionella pneumophila detection in water systems. Spatial transcriptomics. Microfluidic applications for bacterial detection.

Development of a novel colour-coded RING FISH method: an innovative tool for the detection of antibiotic-resistant clinical pathogens;
Development of NAM-CLASI-FIVH method for analysis of diversity and spatial organization of gastric microbiota.

NAM4toxins – De novo selection of toxin-specific aptamers using nucleic acid mimics.

e.Biofilm: innovation in biofilm control. Explore control mechanisms that are based on imaging and molecular characterization of the complex ecology.

Locked nucleic acid (LNA) aptamers for the detection of Staphylococcus Enterotoxins. These aptamers will be incorporated into a simple colorimetric detection system, which will be fully evaluated for food matrices.

Evaluation of the capacity to internalize NAMs through the celular envelope and into the cytosol of different bacteria, using liposomes. Implementation of a Fluorescence Cross Correlation Spectroscopy (FCCS) method to trace the fusion between liposomes and the celular envelope.

Locked Nucleic Acids-peptide conjugates as novel drugs against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Unravelling the gastric microbiota with Combinatorial Labelling and Spectral Imaging – Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization.

Development of a multiplex mRNA PNA-FISH method to assess Legionella pneumophila morphological state within multispecies biofilms in water systems.

“FEUP-uFISH – Integration of fluorescence in situ hybridization with microfluidics for the quasi-real-time detection of food pathogens”.

Transcriptomics approach to study the interspecies interaction and/or cooperation through a gene expression profile analysis using an in vitro multispecies chronic wound biofilm model.

Applying confocal microscopy-based image analysis techniques for microorganism identification and localization in biofilm matrices; development of a database for storing laboratory data; improving statistical methods to enhance data repeatability and reliability.

This project targets antimicrobial resistance, enhancing basic fluorescence microscope assays to detect pathogenic bacteria. The emphasis is on creating PNA-FISH probes for clinically relevant bacteria and optimizing assay performance conditions.