Within the framework of Labex ARCANE (laboratoire d’excellence) – University of Grenoble funding, we are looking for a post-doctoral researcher to develop polysaccharide-based membranes incorporating metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and their application for electroenzymatic biosensing. Labex ARCANE is a consortium of scientists from the University of Grenoble whose common scientific objective is biomotivated chemistry: https://arcane.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/arcane.
Enzyme-based electrochemical biosensors have revolutionised diabetes care and offer considerable promise for monitoring of biomarkers to improve human health. State-of-the-art devices combining robust enzymes with petroleum-based polymers are limited to the monitoring of glucose over short periods of time. The development of biosensors beyond glucose is challenging due to factors such as enzyme and sensor fragility, selectivity and specificity. In this project, we propose to develop a new class of porous and biocompatible polysaccharide-based membranes to modulate the selectivity and reactivity of electrochemical biosensors to enable reliable monitoring of alternative biomarkers in biofluids. Metal organic frameworks, highly porous “sponge-like” materials formed via the self-assembly of metal ions and organic linkers, are being widely explored for gas adsorption and separation as well as catalytic reactions. Here we will push their development in combination with polysaccharides to obtain new materials for the niche application of electrochemical biosensing.