Development of Suprasensors and Assays for Molecular Diagnostics

SupraSense combines completely new strategies to design and realize biomimetic artificial receptors for bioactive small molecules, i.e. metabolites, with the aim of overcoming long-standing selectivity and sensitivity limitations that hindered other synthetic sensory systems from reaching diagnostic applications. Sophisticated yet easy to fabricate “SupraSensors” will be developed based on unprecedented hybrid zeolitic materials whose binding cavities are modulated by peptide-based cofactors, thereby mimicking enzyme pockets. SupraSensors will be functional and directly applicable for molecular diagnostics in urine, saliva, and blood and will be of utility in point-of-care units and personal homes. Emphasis is given to the detection of metabolites that are important disease indicators.I am an expert on “conventional” synthetic chemosensors and have studied both their merits and fundamental shortcomings. Out of this deep routed analysis, I developed the proposed ambitious strategy that marries principles of molecular recognition with materials science and chemistry-informed deep learning. These SupraSensors will advance the field through the following elements: i) high-energy water release from microporous materials ensures high binding affinity; ii) strategically placed peptide-based recognition elements provide selectivity while offering synthetic tunability; iii) information-rich signal output from SupraSensor libraries enables metabolite distinction in biofluids; iv) novel signal amplification concepts increase sensitivity. SupraSensor discovery will be fast and generalizable to many metabolite classes.SupraSense has the potential to unleash supreme opportunities for multiparameter diagnostics, which will be essential for patient subgrouping based on metabolic phenotypes. The new concepts developed herein have the prospect to revolutionize early detection of emerging cardiovascular events, inflammations, sepsis, and other metabolic or aging-associated diseases.