Applications of nucleic acid mimics in biotechnology

Nuno F. Azevedo

LEPABE, Dep of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, Portugal

Nucleic acid mimics (NAMs), also known as nucleic acid analogues, are molecules that are structurally similar to DNA or RNA and that, in general, also obey the Watson-Crick base-pairing rules. However, NAMs such as locked nucleic acid (LNA) or peptide nucleic acid (PNA) have demonstrated substantially different chemical and biological properties. Examples of works that are currently being carried out within our research team with NAMs include the: 1) coupling of  NAMs and fluorescence in situ hybridization for a more robust detection of pathogens and toxins in clinical and food samples; 2) combination of LNA-based NAMs and delivery vectors such as liposomes for a more efficient treatment of microbial infections; 3) application of multicolored NAMs for the specific location of microorganisms within biofilms; 4) development of NAMs-based aptamers for the detection of toxins; and 5) bioinformatics modelling of NAMs related processes.

During this talk I will address the main principles supporting the application of NAMs in areas such as microbial diagnostics and treatment, as well as explain our contribution to the advancement of these areas of research.