The PRIN project “SENSOSTEC” — Development of a Plasmonic Nanobiosensor for the Rapid Diagnosis of Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli Infections at the Point of Care — is a groundbreaking initiative coordinated by Dr. Lucia Petti (ISASI-CNR), in close collaboration with Prof. Brigotti from the Department of Specialized, Diagnostic and Experimental Medicine at the University of Bologna, and Dr. Stefano Morabito, Director of the European Reference Laboratory for E. coli at ISS, along with their dedicated research teams.
The project is funded through NextGenerationEU (CUP B53C22003100002) and aims to revolutionize the detection of Shiga toxin (Stx) — a potent biological agent produced by Escherichia coli strains, responsible for severe gastrointestinal infections and complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome.
This afternoon, some of the project’s exciting advancements will be presented by Dr. Alessia Milano and Dr. Bryan Guilcapi at the European Researchers’ Night in Piazza Dante, Naples.
At the core of SENSOSTEC lies the development of a novel biophotonic and bioplasmonic platform capable of delivering rapid, reliable, and highly sensitive qualitative and quantitative detection of Shiga toxin in complex biological matrices.
Two complementary nanofabrication strategies are being used to create next-generation recognition systems:
- Top-down approaches, utilizing electron beam lithography to engineer advanced plasmonic metasurfaces.
- Bottom-up synthesis of self-assembled gold nanoparticle monolayers, forming responsive and selective nanostructures.
These nanostructured biosensors demonstrate a powerful capability to detect Shiga toxin with high specificity and speed, paving the way for future point-of-care diagnostic technologies.
This multidisciplinary effort highlights how advanced nanotechnology and photonics can be translated into impactful tools for public health. -B.G.-
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