→ What do we investigate?

Development of rapid analytical methods based on antibodies for the detection of chemical residues (pesticides, growth regulators, additives, antibiotics), toxins (mycotoxins, cyanotoxins, etc.) and organic pollutants in food and environmental samples.

Objetives

• Synthesis of functionalized derivatives (haptens) of organic molecules of interest in food quality and safety.
• Characterization of the factors that determine the immune response, in terms of affinity and specificity, towards low molecular weight molecules. Studies on the relationship between the structure of functionalized organic molecules and the characteristics of the derived antibodies.
• Preparation of useful bioconjugates for the development of immunoanalytic methods. Development of new conjugation techniques.
• Production of polyclonal antibodies and generation of hybridoma lines producing monoclonal antibodies against analytes of interest in foods, especially new fungicides and emerging contaminants.
• Use of new markers and detection systems that allow the development of faster, cheaper and more sensitive analytical tools.
• Development of rapid immunochemical methods applied to aspects related to food quality and safety.
• Development and application of new biomaterials capable of enhancing the immune response to haptens.
• Implementation of the immunochemical tools generated in several analytical platforms, including ELISA plate assays, immunoaffinity columns, lateral flow immunoassays (immunochromatographic strips) and biosensors.
• Transfer of generated reagents to companies that develop and market food diagnostic kits.