Final Report Summary - CHEBANA (Chemical Bioanalysis)
The Marie Curie initial training network CHEBANA – Chemical Bioanalysis – investigates new methods and applications in the field of bioanalytics. 20 PhD students and 4 Postdocs work with modern methods of electroanalysis, mass spectrometry and fluorescence to contribute to a further development of bioanalytical chemistry.
A key aspect of the CHEBANA research is the development of new biosensors which could one day be used in diagnostics. These sensors are meant to simplify measurements of blood sugar or the detection of oxygen in cells. Innovative materials such as luminescent nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and molecular imprinted polymers are employed for the development of these biosensors. Mass spectrometric studies concentrate on the stability of protein complexes or DNA-fragments. The potential of electrochemical methods is used to investigate the charge transfer of electrodes and immobilized redox enzymes as well as for the development of biofuel cells. Strong emphasis is placed on the combination of different analytical strategies to use the full potential of the large network.
The scientific outcome during four years of project duration could be published in more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and four patent applications. A book publication concerned with major topics of the network, entitled „Advances in Chemical Bioanalysis“, appeared in early 2014.
However, the attention is not only on scientific aspects, also an extensive training program is organized for the fellows. Four Summer Schools have been held at project partner’s institutions in Barcelona, Mannheim, Biarritz and Regensburg. The young scientists receive the opportunity to present their work and get feedback from other members of the project. This has already led to several fruitful collaborations. Additionally, renowned guest speakers give insights into their research. A workshop on soft skills ranging from project management to intellectual property issues was held in spring 2013 to give the researchers a solid background for later careers in industry or academia. Furthermore, all fellows get the opportunity to visit at least one of the partner universities for a research stay to get the advantage of additional techniques of methods to improve their skills or round up their research results. CHEBANA has had four successful project years and we are proud to have helped assist the careers of 24 junior scientists.
A key aspect of the CHEBANA research is the development of new biosensors which could one day be used in diagnostics. These sensors are meant to simplify measurements of blood sugar or the detection of oxygen in cells. Innovative materials such as luminescent nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and molecular imprinted polymers are employed for the development of these biosensors. Mass spectrometric studies concentrate on the stability of protein complexes or DNA-fragments. The potential of electrochemical methods is used to investigate the charge transfer of electrodes and immobilized redox enzymes as well as for the development of biofuel cells. Strong emphasis is placed on the combination of different analytical strategies to use the full potential of the large network.
The scientific outcome during four years of project duration could be published in more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and four patent applications. A book publication concerned with major topics of the network, entitled „Advances in Chemical Bioanalysis“, appeared in early 2014.
However, the attention is not only on scientific aspects, also an extensive training program is organized for the fellows. Four Summer Schools have been held at project partner’s institutions in Barcelona, Mannheim, Biarritz and Regensburg. The young scientists receive the opportunity to present their work and get feedback from other members of the project. This has already led to several fruitful collaborations. Additionally, renowned guest speakers give insights into their research. A workshop on soft skills ranging from project management to intellectual property issues was held in spring 2013 to give the researchers a solid background for later careers in industry or academia. Furthermore, all fellows get the opportunity to visit at least one of the partner universities for a research stay to get the advantage of additional techniques of methods to improve their skills or round up their research results. CHEBANA has had four successful project years and we are proud to have helped assist the careers of 24 junior scientists.