Research Interests

Research in the field of nanomedicine and nanosensorics focuses on materials based on porous silicon nanostructures for drug delivery, photosensitization, sonosensitization, high frequency electromagnetic wave sensitization for therapy, in vivo and in vitro imaging using photoluminescent nanoparticles; photonic crystals, SERS-active nanostructures, biosensors, antiviral and antibacterial agents. Our group is an expert in the synthesis, chemistry, electrochemistry, optical and quantum-confinement properties of silicon-based nanosystems.

 

Development of biocompatible luminescent nanoparticles- nanocontainers for drug delivery, activated by light, ultrasound, or electromagnetic irradiation for theranostics (simultaneous therapy and diagnosis) of cancer diseases

We are engaged in the fabrication and study of the structural, physical and chemical properties of porous silicon nanoparticles (PSi NPs) for their use in biomedicine. Techniques for producing photoluminescent PSi NPs by grinding silicon nanowires were first developed [Nanoscale Res Lett 2014, 9, 463. .)] The property of biocompatibility of the obtained nanoparticles, the possibility of imaging cancer cells with internalized PSi NPs by linear and nonlinear optical methods has been proved [Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2016, 17, 1536. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17091536; ACS Biomater. Sci. Eng. 2021 ,)] and by using magnetic resonance tomography [Appl. Phys. Lett. 2015, 107, 233702 .)] The uniqueness of the work is also due to the application of physical methods to activate the therapeutic properties of nanoparticles. We were the first to propose and study the properties of PSi NPs can act as photosensitizers of reactive oxygen species (Journal of biophotonics 2012, 5, 7 https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.201100112) ultrasound sonosensitizers (Microporous and Mesoporous Materials 2015, 210 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2015.02.037) and sensitizers of high frequency electromagnetic (HFEM) radiation (Sci Rep 2014, 4, 7034 https://doi.org/10.1038/srep07034 ); and the effectiveness of proposed properties of PSi NPs for cancer therapy was proved in a series of biological experiments. For the first time Raman spectroscopy proved the property of biodegradation of PSi NPs inside living cells [Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine 2016, 12 (7) .)] For the first time, the possibility of controlling cell death pathways with PSi NPs acting as nanocontainers for drug delivery and Raman investigation of drug release from PSi NPs inside cancer cells was demonstrated [ACS Biomater. Sci. Eng. 2019, 5, 11 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.9b01292 ], as well as controlling the biodegradation rate of PSi NPs in living cells [Faraday Discuss. 2020, 222, 318 .)]

 

Development of highly sensitive nano-biosensors for qualitative and quantitative express analysis of viruses and microorganisms, as well as markers of socially significant diseases

We are developing SERS-active composite sensor nanomaterials based on porous silicon nanostructures and silicon nanowires with embedded plasmonic metal particles (silver or gold) for rapid multiplex detection and determination of bacteria, viruses, and markers of socially significant diseases for medical diagnosis. Techniques have been developed for obtaining SERS-active nanostructures of various shapes [Applied Surface Science 2020, 507, 144989 ,)] and the possibility of controlling the distance between plasmonic gold nanoparticles using porous silicon-based matrices has been shown [Sensors 2020, 20(19), 5634; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20195634 ]. For the first time, a technique was developed to produce composite materials based on silicon nanowires decorated with gold and/or silver nanoparticles and demonstrated their effectiveness for detecting pyocyanin, a metabolite of Pseudomonas bacteria [Talanta 2019, 202, 171-177 )] and bilirubin [ACS Biomater. Sci. Eng. 2021 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c00728 ].

Work is underway on the development of electrical and optical interferometric sensors for virus diagnostics. Methods for producing nanostructures have been developed and shown to be effective as a sensitive element for virus diagnosis [Results in Materials 2020, 6, 100084 ;)] Mater. Res. Express 2020, 7 (3), 035002 https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ab7719 ].

 

Development of antibacterial and antiviral agents based on nanoparticles and composite nanostructures

We first discovered non-specific binding of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to porous silicon nanoparticles. It has been shown that such binding is due to Van der Waals forces between nanoparticles and virions [J Nanopart Res 2014, 16, 2430 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-014-2430-2 ]. This interaction results in the blocking of glycoprotein receptors on the virus surface, after which the virions lose their ability to infect cells. This mechanism of action of silicon nanoparticles on viruses is proved to be universal [Bioactive Materials 2022, 7, 39-46 ,)] which is of great interest for further study of the virulicide and antiviral properties of PSi NPs.

For the first time, the possibility of destroying bacteria by combined exposure to porous silicon nanoparticles and therapeutic ultrasound radiation was demonstrated [Langmuir 2017, 33(10) https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b04303 ]. The effect was a lysis of the bacterial membrane in the areas where the nanoparticles sorbed onto them. Such antibacterial action of ultrasound-activated (sonoactivated) PSi NPs is supposed to be universal.

Current projects

  1. Russian Science Foundation № 20-12-00297 "Development of highly sensitive nano-biosensors for qualitative and quantitative express analysis of microorganisms, as well as markers of socially significant diseases. 2020-2022 https://rscf.ru/contests/search-projects/20-12-00297/
  2. Russian Science Foundation № 19-72-10131 "Self-reporting systems for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs based on silicon and gold nanocomposites" 2019-2022 #