The predoctoral researcher Arnau Domínguez Zoroa, from the Nucleic Acids Chemistry group, will defend his thesis on 16th April at 15:30h in Aula Enric Casassas (Faculty of Chemistry, University of Barcelona)
Title: Design and Preparation of Triplex Forming Oligonucleotides for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus
Directors: Anna Aviñó and Ramon Eritja
Thesis committee: Anna Pasternak, Juan Carlos Morales and Montserrat Terrazas
Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has marked a turning point in modern society, highlighting the urgent need for rapid and sensitive detection systems that can be used by the general population without prior training. In this context, the present doctoral thesis describes the development of DNA probes for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 based on hairpin-type oligonucleotides capable of forming triplex structures, with the aim of overcoming some of the limitations associated with conventional techniques.
Through a double-hybridization strategy involving two distinct oligonucleotides—a capture probe and a reporter probe—the system enables the detection of only a few femtomoles of viral messenger RNA in less than 30 minutes. Building on the group’s previous expertise in the study of hairpin oligonucleotides and triple-helix structures, this thesis establishes a set of methodologies for investigating the parallel and antiparallel triplexes formed by these capture probes using a range of biophysical techniques.
The results obtained allowed the identification of key structural features and modification patterns required for these hairpins to achieve optimal performance in biosensing platforms, thereby improving detection limits and establishing a framework for the design and optimization of similar systems targeting other pathogens.
