Medicine on the nanometer scale

3rd Focus Day at Research Center MAIN at Chemnitz University of Technology will shed light on the topic “Nanomedicine” from different viewpoints on February 13, 2025

On February 13, 2025, the Research Center for Materials, Architectures and Integration of Nanomembranes (MAIN) at Chemnitz University of Technology, together with a renowned international guest speaker and representatives of Klinikum Chemnitz gGmbH and the Center for Knowledge and Technology Transfer (ZWT) at Chemnitz University of Technology, will be hosting a focus day dedicated to nanomedicine. A plenary lecture, several short presentations, posters, and other scientific and technical exhibits promise a lively professional exchange.

The Focus Day begins at 2 p.m. with the plenary lecture “Spectroscopic Liquid Biopsy: State of the Art and Perspectives” given by Prof. Rares Ionut Stiufiuc, Ph.D. from the Medical-Pharmaceutical University “Iuliu Hațieganu” in Cluj-Napoca (Romania). In English language, the speaker will discuss current developments in spectroscopy with a focus on applications in medical analysis. The spectroscopic analysis of biological and body fluids (“spectroscopic biopsy”) has established itself as a powerful, non-invasive method for biomedical diagnostics, disease monitoring and the monitoring of biological markers. Various spectroscopic techniques - including infrared (IR), Raman, fluorescence and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy - provide molecular insights into the biochemical composition of blood, urine, saliva and cerebrospinal fluid. These techniques allow the identification and quantification of metabolites, proteins and other biomolecules and thus contribute to the early detection of diseases and personalized medicine. Advanced data processing techniques, such as chemometric analysis and machine learning, improve spectral interpretation and increase diagnostic accuracy and clinical utility. A special focus of the plenary lecture will be on the application of ultrasensitive vibrational spectroscopic techniques, in particular surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), to analyze various biofluids with the aim of developing new (bio)medical applications. Prof. Stiufiuc will first present the current state of research based on scientific literature. He will then outline key achievements and challenges encountered in the last decade in studies on blood plasma, serum, urine, saliva and DNA. As SERS is a surface-dependent technique, the role of microstructured, plasmonically active substrates in the vibrational spectroscopic analysis of biofluids will also be discussed.

Following the plenary lecture, Dr. Paul Warncke from the Department of Haematology and Oncology at Klinikum Chemnitz gGmbH will present a survey of physicochemical and biological characterization methods of nanomaterials for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, inspired by everyday clinical practice. Furthermore, ChA Prof. Dr. Vinodh Kakkassery, Chief Physician at the Department of Ophthalmology, and ChA Prof. Dr. Matthias Kirsch, Chief Physician at the Department of Neurosurgery, will also outline the needs and requirements for nanomedical research from a medical perspective as representatives of Klinikum Chemnitz gGmbH. Aline Lohse, representing the Center for Knowledge and Technology Transfer (ZWT) at Chemnitz University of Technology will talk about the concept of the emerging Campus Gesundheit Chemnitz (CGC). Finally, the host, Prof. Dr. Dietrich R. T. Zahn, holder of the Chair of Semiconductor Physics at Chemnitz University of Technology and Deputy Director of Research Center MAIN, and Dr. Vineeth K. Bandari from MAIN Research at the Chair of Materials Systems in Nanoelectronics (Head: Prof. Dr. Oliver G. Schmidt) will present current developments in the fields of nanospectroscopy, microactuators and microrobotics with reference to medical applications.

The 3rd MAIN Focus Day “Nanomedicine” will take place in the Conference Area of the MAIN Research Center (conference room C50.001 and foyer C50.013 on the first floor), Rosenbergstr. 6, in Chemnitz. Between the lecture sessions, there will be opportunities to engage in scientific exchange with the speakers and other representatives of Klinikum Chemnitz gGmbH and Chemnitz University of Technology. Interested parties are cordially invited and are requested to register informally by the day before via the office of the MAIN Research Center (e-mail: kontakt@main.tu-chemnitz.de, telephone 0371 531-20100) for the purpose of capacity planning or transmission of dial-in data for online participation in the lectures. Questions will be answered by the host, Prof. Dr. Dietrich R. T. Zahn (e-mail zahn@physik.tu-chemnitz.de, phone 0371/531-33036) or the MAIN Management Office.

About the person: Prof. Rares Ionut Stiufiuc

The speaker of the plenary lecture, Prof. Rares Ionut Stiufiuc, Ph.D. is Professor and Coordinator of Research Activities at the Department MedFUTURE - NanoBioPhysics of the Medical-Pharmaceutical University “Iuliu Hațieganu” Cluj-Napoca (Romania). His research focuses on different types of multifunctional nanohybrids, e.g. magnetic, plasmonic and magnetoplasmonic nanoparticles, nanoliposomes and quantum dots for biomedical applications, e.g. targeted drug delivery, cancer therapy and biosensing. He is also working on the development of new early detection techniques using ultrasensitive vibrational spectroscopy techniques on biofluids. Rares Stiufiuc received his PhD in Physics from the University of “Babeș Bolyai” Cluj-Napoca in 2005 and completed his habilitation in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of “Iuliu Hațieganu” in 2017. During his doctoral studies, he completed a Marie Curie Fellowship at the Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Université Paris-Sud XI (2003-2004), followed by a postdoctoral research position at the Institut d'Électronique, Microélectronique et Nanotechnologie (IEMN), Lille, France (2005-2007). For his research achievements, Prof. Stiufiuc received the Romanian Academy of Sciences Award in 2020 for the development of multifunctional nanostructures with applications in nanomedicine. As a research group leader within the framework of the European Union's ERA Chair-Holder Program, Prof. Stiufiuc leads the activities in Cluj-Napoca to establish an interdisciplinary research team in the field of NanoBioPhysics. The work focuses on novel multifunctional nanohybrids with core-shell architecture for therapeutic-diagnostic (“theranostic”) biomedical applications. The aim of these research efforts is to strengthen the integration of the research center into the European Research Area (ERA) for increased international visibility, more intensive participation in collaborative projects and the promotion of translational research.

Background: Research Center MAIN

The Research Center for Materials, Architectures and Integration of Nanomembranes (MAIN) was implemented in 2020 as a Central Scientific Institution of Chemnitz University of Technology. In its research building on Rosenbergstraße, 18 working groups from the Faculties of Natural Sciences and Electrical Engineering and Information Technology are currently working together, dedicated to the joint explorative research of the fundamental physical and chemical properties as well as the development of the engineering application potential of flexible nanostructured membranes ('nanomembranes') as a novel class of materials. The term nanomembranes covers very thin (down to an atomic layer), but micrometer-sized functional structures that are characterized by special electronic, optoelectronic or electrochemical properties with high mechanical flexibility. They form the basis for new types of tiny components that can be bent, stretched and shaped and are therefore extremely adaptable. The aim is to incorporate the findings of this research into the development of future-oriented fields of materials science for the benefit of society. This can lead to new technologies and products in areas ranging from mobile communication and energy technology to medical technology. Research Center MAIN offers lectures, research seminars, and forus or topical days at irregular intervals. MAIN Focus Days are characterized by the consideration of a central topic through lectures and poster contributions from various specialist perspectives. Previous focus days were dedicated to the material class of Semiconductor Quantum Dots (keynote speaker: Dr. Oleksandr Stroyuk, Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg for Renewable Energies, January 2024) and Concepts for a Circular Economy for Electronics (keynote speaker: Dr. Christian Hagelüken, expert and former Director of EU Affairs at Umicore AG, November 2024).

Background: Cluster Gesundheit Chemnitz (CGC)

The implementation of a Cluster Gesundheit Chemnitz (CGC, „Chemnitz Health Cluster“) is an initiative of Chemnitz University of Technology together with Klinikum Chemnitz gGmbH. A joint center for transformation is intended to promote the academization of Klinikum Chemnitz gGmbH and strengthen cooperation in research and development between the two institutions. Relevant research fields include artificial intelligence & mixed reality systems, robotics & sensor technology, prevention and early detection, e-health and wound healing.

(Author: Dr. Thomas Blaudeck, Translation: Arthur Dumler)

Anne Eichhorn
06.02.2025

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