arXiv subjects

Mikołaj Lewandowski

Publications and source records attributed to Mikołaj Lewandowski.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Towards ultrasensitive biosensors based on virus-like particles and plasmonic surface lattice resonance

Plasmonic surface lattice resonance (SLR) is a phenomenon in which individual localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) excited in periodically-arranged plasmonic nanoparticles couple through the interaction with propagating diffracted incident light. The SLR optical absorption peak is by at least one order of magnitude more intense than the LSPR one, making SLR superior for applications in which LSPR is commonly used. Recently, we have developed a route for the fabrication of spherical virus-like particles (VLPs) with plasmonic cores and protein coronas, where the LSPR in the cores amplifies vibrational signals originating from protein-antibody bonding, showing the potential of VLPs in biodetection. However, the signals were not strong enough to detect antibodies at very low concentrations. Here, we show that by ordering the VLPs in periodic nanoarrays exhibiting SLR amplifies the signals by two orders of magnitude, revealing superior potential of SLR arrays in ultrasensitive biodetection.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

SARS-CoV-2 Virus-Like Particles with Plasmonic Au Cores and S1-Spike Protein Coronas

The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated the scientific world to intensify virus-related studies, aimed at the development of quick and safe ways of detecting viruses in human body, studying the virus-antibody and virus-cell interactions, and designing nanocarriers for targeted antiviral therapies. However, research on dangerous viruses can only be performed in certified laboratories that follow strict safety procedures. Thus, developing deactivated virus constructs or safe-to-use virus-like objects, which imitate real viruses and allow performing virus-related studies in any research laboratory, constitutes an important scientific challenge. One of the groups of such species are the so-called virus-like particles (VLPs). Instead of capsids with viral DNA/RNA, VLPs have synthetic cores with real virus proteins attached to them. We have developed a method for the preparation of VLPs imitating the virus responsible for the COVID-19 disease: the SARS-CoV-2. The particles have Au cores surrounded by "coronas" of S1 domains of the virus's Spike protein. Importantly, they are safe to use and specifically interact with SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Moreover, Au cores exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), which makes the synthesized VLPs suitable for biosensing applications. Within our studies, the effect allowed us to visualize the interaction between the VLPs and the antibodies and identify the characteristic vibrational signals. What is more, additional functionalization of the particles with a fluorescent label revealed their potential in studying specific virus-related interactions. Notably, the universal character of the developed synthesis method makes it potentially applicable for fabricating VLPs imitating other life-threatening viruses.

q-bio.QM↗

arXiv2022

Two disjoint cycles in digraphs

Bermond and Thomassen conjectured that every digraph with minimum outdegree at least $2k-1$ contains $k$ vertex disjoint cycles. So far the conjecture was verified for $k\le 3$. Here we generalise the question asking for all outdegree sequences which force $k$ vertex disjoint cycles and give the full answer for $k\le 2$.

math.CO↗

arXiv2022

Ostwald ripening in an oxide-on-metal system

Ostwald ripening is a well-known physicochemical phenomenon in which smaller particles, characterized by high surface energy, dissolve and feed the bigger ones that are thermodynamically more stable. The effect is commonly observed in solid and liquid solutions, as well as in systems consisting of supported metal clusters or liquid droplets. Here, we provide the first evidence for the occurrence of Ostwald ripening in an oxide-on-metal system which, in our case, consists of ultrathin iron monoxide (FeO) islands grown on Ru(0001) single-crystal support. The results reveal that the thermally-driven sintering of islands allows altering their fine structural characteristics, including size, perimeter length, defect density and stoichiometry, which are crucial, e.g., from the point of view of heterogeneous catalysis.

physics.chem-ph↗