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Ultrasensitive chiral detection by signal-reversing cavity polarimetry: applications to in-situ proteomics, single-molecule chirality, HPLC analysis, medical diagnostics, and atmospheric studies

Objective

Chirality is a fundamental property of life, making chiral sensing and analysis crucial to numerous scientific subfields of biology, chemistry, and medicine, and to the pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic, and food industries, constituting a market of 10s of billion €, and growing.
Despite the tremendous importance of chiral sensing, its application remains very limited, as chiroptical signals are typically very weak, preventing important biological and medical applications. Recently, the project-coordinating FORTH team has introduced a new form of Chiral-Cavity-based Polarimetry (CCP) for chiral sensing, which has three groundbreaking advantages compared to commercial instruments: (a) The chiroptical signals are enhanced by the number of cavity passes (typically ~1000); (b) otherwise limiting birefringent backgrounds are suppressed;
(c) rapid signal reversals give absolute polarimetry measurements, not requiring sample removal for a null-sample measurement. Together, these advantages allow improvement in chiral detection sensitivity by 3-6 orders of magnitude (depending on instrument complexity and price). ULTRACHIRAL aims to revolutionize existing applications of chiral sensing, but also to instigate important new domains which require sensitivities beyond current limits, including: (1) measuring protein structure in-situ, in solution, at surfaces, and within cells and membranes, thus realizing the “holy-grail” of proteomics; (2) coupling to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for chiral identification of the components of complex mixtures, creating new standards for the pharmaceutical and chemical analysis industries; (3) chiral analysis of human bodily fluids as a diagnostic tool in medicine; (4) measurement of single-molecule chirality, by adapting CCP to microresonators, which have already demonstrated single-molecule detection; and (5) real-time chiral monitoring of terpene emissions from individual trees and forests, as a probe of forest ecology.

Call for proposal

H2020-FETOPEN-2016-2017

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Sub call

H2020-FETOPEN-1-2016-2017

Coordinator

IDRYMA TECHNOLOGIAS KAI EREVNAS
Net EU contribution
€ 722 500,00
Address
N Plastira Str 100
70013 Irakleio
Greece

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Region
Ηράκλειο Κρήτη Νησιά Αιγαίου
Activity type
Research Organisations
Other funding
€ 0,00

Participants (7)

ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE
Switzerland
Net EU contribution
€ 567 500,00
Address
Batiment Ce 3316 Station 1
1015 Lausanne

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Region
Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Région lémanique Vaud
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Other funding
€ 0,00
THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
United Kingdom
Net EU contribution
€ 535 000,00
Address
Wellington Square University Offices
OX1 2JD Oxford

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Region
South East (England) Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Oxfordshire
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Other funding
€ 0,00
JOHANNES GUTENBERG-UNIVERSITAT MAINZ
Germany
Net EU contribution
€ 501 250,00
Address
Saarstrasse 21
55122 Mainz

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Region
Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart Stuttgart, Stadtkreis
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Other funding
€ 0,00
THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
United Kingdom
Net EU contribution
€ 572 000,00
Address
The Queen's Drive Northcote House
EX4 4QJ Exeter

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Region
South West (England) Devon Devon CC
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Other funding
€ 0,00
MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV
Germany
Net EU contribution
€ 237 500,00
Address
Hofgartenstrasse 8
80539 Munchen

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Region
Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Research Organisations
Other funding
€ 0,00
PHOTEK LIMITED
United Kingdom
Net EU contribution
€ 318 750,00
Address
Castleham Road 26 St Leonards On Sea
TN38 9NS East Sussex

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
South East (England) Surrey, East and West Sussex East Sussex CC
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Other funding
€ 0,00
PANEPISTIMIO KRITIS
Greece
Net EU contribution
€ 544 750,00
Address
University Campus Gallos
74100 Rethimno

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Region
Ρέθυμνο Κρήτη Νησιά Αιγαίου
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Other funding
€ 0,00