Cycle/Years
39th cycle [2023-2026]
Contacts
Supervisors
Prof. Fabio di Francesco, Dott. Federico Maria Vivaldi
Title of the PhD project
Development of a sensor for measuring urea in dialysate
Abstract of the PhD project
Ever since the invention of dialysis, patients with renal diseases have seen a noticeable increase in both their quality of life and their life expectancy due to the development and the progress of this therapy. In 1985 a group of researchers led by Gotch and Sargent introduced a parameter, based on the concentration of urea in plasma pre- and post-dialysis to assess the adequacy of such therapy. In the context of dialysis, monitoring the concentration of urea in dialysate to ensure the effectiveness of the hemodialysis process to maintain an appropriate concentration gradient between the blood and the dialysate can help healthcare providers to adjust treatment parameters and optimize the dialysis process. The detection and quantification of urea, for both dialysis and metabolic related purposes, is a well-studied topic in literature there are examples ranging from electrochemical to HPLC-UV techniques. An electrochemical sensor can offer a solution in terms of both cost and simplicity, while not compromising on the quality of the results. Furthermore, electrochemical techniques offer great possibilities in terms of miniaturization and/or portability for the development of point of care devices. The aim of this project is to develop and validate a portable sensor platform, based on the enzyme urease, or other urease-mimicking elements, to be used for the detection of urea directly in spent dialysate fluid.
Academic Fields and Disciplines (SSD), main and secondary
CHIM01 - Analytical Chemistry
Publications
• Vivaldi, F. M., Dallinger, A., Bonini, A., Poma, N., Sembranti, L., Biagini, D., ... & Di Francesco, F. (2021). Three-dimensional (3D) laser-induced graphene: structure, properties, and application to chemical sensing. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 13(26), 30245-30260
Poster communications at conferences
• A potentiometric pH sensor for monitoring chronic wounds - L. Sembranti, A. Volpe, A. Cesaro, F. Vivaldi, N. Poma, E. Martinelli, F. Di Francesco. - Chemistry for the Future 2023, Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa (Italy), 28-30 June 2023
• Laser-induced graphene electrochemical aptasensor for the detection of Escherichia coli - Lorenzo Sembranti, Federico Vivaldi, Andrea Bonini, Noemi Poma, Angela Carota, Denise Biagini, Alexander Dallinger, Francesco Greco, Arianna Tavanti, Fabio Di Francesco. - MYCS23 Merck Young Chemist Symposium, Rimini, 13-15 November 2023
