Development of biosensing and diagnostic technologies for healthcare applications

The societal impact is based on research conducted at the Laboratory for Environmental and Life Sciences (LELS), University of Nova Gorica, in the fields of recombinant protein production, nanobody engineering and biosensor-oriented analytical biotechnology. The research established methodological approaches enabling selective molecular recognition and rapid analytical detection through the integration of engineered nanobodies, recombinant proteins and portable biosensing technologies.

The research basis includes the following representative outputs:

• Boonkaewa S, Szot-Karpińska K, Niedziółka-Jönsson J, de Marco A, Jönsson-Niedziółka M (2024). NFC smartphone-based electrochemical microfluidic device integrated with nanobody recognition for C-reactive protein. ACS Sensors 9:3066–3074.
• De March M, Terdoslavich M, Polez S, Guarnaccia C, Poggianella M, Marcello A, Skoko N, de Marco A (2022). Expression, purification and characterization of SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD in ExpiCHO cells. Protein Expression and Purification 194:106071.

The work was carried out through interdisciplinary and international collaborations involving analytical chemists, molecular biologists and biomedical researchers, including collaboration with the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB).

Description of the impact

The research contributed to the development of biosensing and diagnostic technologies relevant to healthcare monitoring, biomarker detection and analytical applications in biomedicine. The developed nanobody-based biosensing systems demonstrated the feasibility of integrating selective molecular recognition with miniaturized electrochemical and smartphone-supported analytical platforms for rapid biomarker detection.

Particular relevance of the work derives from its applicability to portable and point-of-care analytical approaches for biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), which is widely used in monitoring inflammatory and chronic diseases. The research supports ongoing international efforts aimed at developing more accessible and miniaturized analytical technologies for decentralized biomarker testing.

The research also contributed to diagnostic-oriented biotechnology during the COVID-19 pandemic through development of a recombinant production pipeline for the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD), suitable for analytical and diagnostic applications related to infection monitoring and immune-response evaluation.

The work strengthened interdisciplinary collaboration between molecular biology, analytical chemistry, nanotechnology and biomedical sciences through international collaborative research activities involving academic and biomedical research partners.

The self-evaluation process also identified important future challenges, particularly the need for additional validation, standardization and translational development of portable biosensing technologies before broader routine implementation.

Evidence and possible visibility

The societal relevance and translational potential of the research are demonstrated through:

- international interdisciplinary collaborations with external biomedical and analytical research institutions;

- peer-reviewed publications in internationally recognized journals, including ACS Sensors and Protein Expression and Purification;

- contribution to analytical and diagnostic technology development during the COVID-19 pandemic;

- continued research activities in portable biosensing and diagnostic technologies.

The work contributed to broader international research efforts focused on portable biosensing, analytical miniaturization and biomarker-oriented diagnostic technologies.