For Hana Lísalová, head of the Laboratory of Functional Biointerfaces from the Division of Optics, this year's fifth edition of the International Conference on Bioinspired and Zwitterionic Materials, which was held at Cornell University in the USA, meant a significant accomplishment. She received the prestigious Mid-career Award for her contribution to the development of a new generation of antifouling layers with biofunctional elements, biosensors and biomimetic systems. The conference is organized by researchers from Cornell University and other international institutions under the leadership of one of the world leaders and pioneers in the field of zwitterionic materials, Professor Shaoyi Jiang. Professor Jiang visited FZU a few years ago and gave a lecture as part of the prestigious Dvořák lecture series.
"It was very unexpected and I was honestly touched. For me, it is a great honour and motivation for further research work," Hana Lísalová said.
Hana Lísalová and her team’s research focuses, among other things, on innovative biochips that work on the principle of quartz microbalance technology with polymer nanolayers on the surface of a quartz crystal. These brush-like nanosheets are composed of multiple components that allow binding of specific receptors while resisting non-specific adhesion from complex food samples and other concentrated biological samples. Thus, it is possible to analyse samples in their original form, without the need for complex modifications and purification, which is beneficial for field use. Based on the selection and the receptor bound to the nanosheet, the biosensor can be "tuned" to detect a specific pathogen.
Hana is the author of six patents and a number of research papers in prestigious journals. In practice, her innovative system is used, for example, by the Protection Service of the Police of the Czech Republic for fast and reliable field testing of food samples for a wide range of pathogens.
