Application of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in the biological and the pharmaceutical fields: state of the art and new perspectives

The next CIRM presentation, entitled « Application of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in the biological and pharmaceutical fields : State of the art and new perspectives”, will be presented by Elodie Dumont, Johan Cailletaud, Riccardo Deidda and Charlotte De Bleye from the Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry. The aim of this presentation is to give a general overview of this technique including the advantages, the synthesis of SERS substrates, the parameters influencing the signal exaltation and its laboratory developed applications. In this context, after browsing the SERS theoretical aspect, Johan Cailletaud will present his work focusing on the development of a covering method of pharmaceutical samples with metallic nanoparticles, which is a major issue for SERS chemical imaging analyses. He will also discuss about the feasibility of detecting low dose polymorph in dosage form using SERS chemical imaging. Regarding the application of SERS in the biological field, Elodie Dumont will present a SERS methodology that she developed in order to analyze the amount of dopamine, an important neurotransmitter, released by rat phaeochromocytoma PC-12 cells in their culture medium. This SERS approach was based on the salt-induced pre-aggregation of the colloidal SERS substrate before the addition of the sample. A calibration curve was established before the investigation of the calcium, potassium and dexamethasone effects on the exocytosis of dopamine from PC-12 cells. Finally, Riccardo Deidda will present the main objectives of his thesis, which are principally focused on the combination of the SERS technique with Raman handheld instruments and the development of quantitative methods in the pharmaceutical field based on this association