Success of the CIB in the EU mission against SARS-CoV-2
The international team was founded to develop and research new materials for combating the pandemic. The Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences (CIB) was a leading link between the partnership established by the University of Debrecen (Hungary), the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne (Switzerland) and the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (Slovakia).
The project headed by Dr. Huntošová was focused on investigation of interactions between metal organic frameworks (MOF), photosensitizers, SARS-CoV-2 Spike RBD Protein and cells expressing ACE2 receptors active in transit of virion into cells. The activities carried out were supported by EU Horizon Europe program within ISIDORe Grant Agreement Number 101046133 and Euro-BioImaging.
Dr. V. Huntošová (CIB UPJŠ in Košice), Dr. G. Vámoši (University of Debrecen) and PhD student A. Benziane (University of Debrecen) collecting FLIM data from cells exposed to MOF with photosensitizer.
The collaboration attracted attention of Euro-BioImaging that referred about the success on its website: news (here).
The Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging System (FLIM) was used in the BCOrgFluorIDA project by Dr. Huntošová through EU NextGenerationEU as a part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Slovakia under project No. 09I03-03-V04-00007 to detect changes in healthy and cancer cells. Using FLIM, we assessed the changes in the receptors of the treated cells.
PhD students S. Olejárová (CIB UPJŠ in Košice) and A. Benziane (University of Debrecen) are conducting FLIM experiments.
This excellent collaboration between the team of Dr. V. Huntošová at the CIB (UPJŠ), Assoc. prof. M. Almáši from the Department of Inorganic Chemistry (UPJŠ), Dr. G. Vámoši from the Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology (University of Debrecen) and MEDr. G. Wagnieres from the Laboratory of Functional and Metabolic Imaging (EPFL) led to a publication in the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science.
Huntošová V.*, Benziane A., Zauška L., Ambro L., Olejárová S., Joniová J., Hlávková N., Wagnieres G., Zelenková G., Diko P., Bednarčík J., Zákány F., Kovács T., Sedlák E., Vámosi G.*, Almáši M.*: The potential of metal–organic framework MIL-101(Al)–NH2 in the forefront of antiviral protection of cells via interaction with SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD protein and their antibacterial action mediated with hypericin and photodynamic treatment. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2025, 691, 137454. IF9.4 Q1
