Monitoring of the NO release in rat brains with miniaturized electrochemical sensors

• Grant number: 25/00748-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Mauro Bertotti
• Grantee: Eduarda Soldi Sartori Seixas
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/00246-1 - Miniaturized large-scale devices for in-situ analysis: fabrication, characterization and applications, AP.TEM

Abstract

In this project, we aim to fabricate an electrochemical sensor to detect NO in rat brains. This miniaturized sensor will be designed using gold microelectrodes whose surface will be modified using nanoporous structures that increase the surface area and provide catalytically active centers. The microelectrodes must exhibit beneficial characteristics for in vivo detection, such as sensitivity, selectivity, and a reasonable detection limit. The first steps will be executed in an aqueous medium, and further steps in biological tissues (slices). The in vitro experiments will be executed to evaluate the sensor's response in conditions similar to rat brains, and an electrochemical microscope will be used to place the sensor with precision in the slices. The optimized dispositive will be implanted in the head of anesthetized rats inoculated with a virus that activates NO formation after radiation (optogenetics). The final step will be to implant the sensor in the brain of free-moving rats to monitor the NO response when they face their predator (cats).