In NanoBioPhotonics lab we combine plasmonics, nanotechnology, and advanced optical techniques to study biological systems and develop next-generation disease biomarker detection tools.
We use plasmonic metal nanoparticles that act like “nano-antennas” for light. These particles support localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), which concentrates light into extremely small regions called hotspots, where fluorescent signals become much stronger. This enables us to detect very small amounts of biological molecules — even down to single DNA or protein biomarkers related to diseases.
The same LSPR also produces distinct and tunable optical absorption (color). This spectral response is highly sensitive to the dielectric permittivity of the local chemical environment, as well as the size, shape, and material of the metal nanoparticle. These properties allow us to perform absorption-based and colorimetric biosensing alongside fluorescence-based detection.
Our goal is to create highly sensitive plasmon-enhanced fluorescence and LSPR-based absorption biosensing methods that can help improve early disease biomarker analysis and deepen our understanding of biomolecular processes.
S. Sharma, T. Minchella, S. Pradhan, D. Gérard, Q. Jiang, and S. Patra*, "pH controlled synthesis of end to end linked Au nanorod dimer in an aqueous solution for plasmon enhanced spectroscopic applications", Nanoscale, 16 (48), 22411-22422 (2024). IF 5.1
S. Pradhan, M. Campanile, S. Sharma, R. Oliva*, and S. Patra*, "Mechanistic Insights into the c-MYC G-Quadruplex and Berberine Binding inside an Aqueous Two-Phase System Mimicking Biomolecular Condensates " J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 15 (34), 8706-8714 (2024). IF 4.8
S. Patra, J. B. Claude, and J. Wenger, "Fluorescence brightness, photostability, and energy transfer enhancement of immobilized single molecules in zero-mode waveguide nanoapertures", ACS Photonics., 9 (6), 2109-2118 (2022). IF 7.0
S. Patra, J. B. Claude, J. V. Naubron, J. Wenger, "Fast Interaction Dynamics of G-Quadruplex and RGG-rich Peptides Unveiled in Zero-Mode Waveguides", Nucleic Acids Res., 49 (21), 12348-12357 (2021). IF 14.9
M. Baibakov, S. Patra, J. B. Claude, A. Moreau, J. Lumeau, J. Wenger, “Extending single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) range beyond 10 nanometers in zero-mode waveguides”, ACS Nano, 13 (7), 8469-8480 (2019). (Equal contribution) IF 15.881
S. Patra, V. Schuabb, I. Kiesel, J. M. Knop, R. Oliva, R. Winter, “Exploring the effects of cosolutes and crowding on the volumetric and kinetic profile of the conformational dynamics of a poly dA loop DNA hairpin: a single-molecule FRET study”, Nucleic Acids Res. 47 (2), 981–996 (2019). IF 16.971
S. Patra, C. Anders, N. Erwin, R. Winter, “Osmolyte Effects on the Conformational Dynamics of a DNA Hairpin at Ambient and Extreme Environmental Conditions”, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 56 (18), 5045-5049 (2017). IF 15.336