Some of our work on the BIOFLICS project is now finally online for sharing! Our latest preprint, "Rapid Antigen Detection Tests Empowered by Cholesteric Spherical Reflectors for Expanded Capabilities", uses our cholesteric spherical reflectors (already used in, among other places, our work with Trace Crystal for secure authentication purposes), but this time as a platform for rapid antigen testing. Here, by functionalizing polymerized cholesteric liquid crystal beads with antibodies, we were able to demonstrate a prototype rapid antigen test capable to detecting antigens, using, as benchmarks, H1N1 influenza and SARS-CoV-2 antigens. This technique also shows promise in quantitative detection (a limitation of current RAT platforms) and potential for all-in-one testing systems. This was a truly interdisciplinary collaboration, involving some of our partners at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (the group of Carole Linster) and at the Luxembourg Institute for Science and Technology (Sivashankar Krishnamoorthy).

The preprint is free to read online. Congratulations to Jan, Yansong, Chih-Chieh, and the rest of our team!

/LWH/

With the new year, it is our pleasure to now welcome two new ESMP postdocs and a new visiting scientist: Yvonne Zagzag, Amina Alizade, and Mónica Arenas Correa!

Yvonne is a recently graduated Physics Ph.D. who joins us from Prof. Chinedum Osuji's group at the University of Pennsylvania. She joins us within the ALCEMIST project as a postdoc working at the intersection of theory and experiments, combining her theoretical knowhow with the many experiments in the project (and especially on fluid flow).

Originally from Georgia (the country), Amina joins us after her Ph.D. research in the group of Dr. Anne Jantschke at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany, where she worked with cellulose extracted from dinoflagellates. Her role will be as the main chemist on the ALCEMIST project, working to develop the chemical tools and protocols to create cellulose-based liquid crystal elastomeric materials.

Mónica is the CEO of our spin-off company Trace Crystal and has joined ESMP in the framework of an FNR Industrial Fellowship as a visiting scientist to work further on developing the technology fueling the innovations at the company. (Hakam will still be with us, but in a different role.)


Häerzlech Wëllkomm!

/LWH/