Research Interests

• Development of multifunctional nanoplatforms (plasmonic, polymeric, graphene) for applications in cancer theranostics (image-guided chemo/phototherapy, image-guided surgery)
  
• Designing plasmonic nanoparticles for biomolecular sensing via surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)
  
• Development of hybrid nanoplatforms (noble-metal/polymer/graphene) as effective antibacterial agents

Expertise

• Chemical synthesis and functionalization of various colloidal nanoparticles and nanostructures made of noble-metals, polymers and graphene
• Spectroscopic techniques (Raman and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), UV-Vis-NIR, DLS, zeta potential)
  
• Scanning confocal Raman microscopy
  
• Intracellular Raman/SERS sensing and imaging
  

International visibility

• Co-author of 51 ISI papers
• 1 national patent (O.S.I.M, code: (RO134994 (B1) (2023))
• 3 pending patents ( O.S.I.M, codes:  (RO136059 (A0) (2022); RO137390 (A0) (2023); A00598  (2024))
• Invited contributor of 4 chapters in international books (RSC, Elsevier, Pan Stanford)
• Citations: 2564 (Google Scholar) / 2088 (Scopus) / 1929 (WoS) 
  
• Hirsh index: 27 (Google Scholar) / 25 (Scopus) / 24 (WoS)
  
• 6 national grants/scholarships as project leader
• Key member/member of 14 national/international grants
• Diploma of Scientific Excellence from Babes-Bolyai University (2015)

Web of Science ResearcherID: C-6317-2012 > webofscience.com
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4901-2400 > orcid.org
BrainMap ID: U-1700-034C-6428 > brainmap.ro
Google Scholar: > scholar.google.ro 
Research Gate: > researchgate.net

Most Relevant Publications

The synthesis of biocompatible and SERS-active gold nanoparticles using chitosan M. Potara, D. Maniu, S. Astilean, Nanotechnology, 20 (2009) 315602 -my first co-authored paper published in ISI journal 

Solution phase, dual LSPR-SERS plasmonic sensors of high sensitivity and stability based on chitosan-coated anisotropic silver nanoparticles M. Potara, A.-M. Gabudean, S. Astilean, J. Mater. Chem., 11 (2011) 3625-3633  

Chitosan-coated anisotropic silver nanoparticles as a SERS substrate for single molecule detection M. Potara, M. Baia, C. Farcau, S. Astilean, Nanotechnology, 23 (2012) 055501 - featured on Lab Talk Presentation > iopscience.iop.org; included in the Highlights 2012 Collection > iopscience.iop.org; highlighted in the Editorial of Nanotechnology dedicated to the International Year of Light 2015 > iopscience.iop.org 

Synergistic antibacterial activity of chitosan-silver nanocomposites on Staphylococcus aureus M. Potara, E. Jakab, A. Damert, O. Popescu, V. Canpean, S. Astilean, Nanotechnology, 22 (2011) 135101

Aptamer-conjugated gold nanoparticles for portable, ultrasensitive naked-eye detection of C-reactive protein based on the Tyndall effect, A.M. Hada, S. Suarasan, M. Muntean, M. Potara, S. Astilean, Analytica Chimica Acta, 1307 (2024) 123581

Carboplatin-loaded, Raman-encoded, chitosan-coated silver nanotriangles as multimodal traceable nanotherapeutic delivery systems and pH reporters inside human ovarian cancer cells M. Potara, T. Nagy Simon, A. M. Craciun, S. Suarasan, E. Licarete, F. Imre Lucaci, S. Astilean, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 9 (2017) 32565 - 32576

Folate-targeted Pluronic-chitosan nanocapsules loaded with IR780 for near-infrared fluorescence imaging and photothermal-photodynamic therapy of ovarian cancer, M. Potara, T. Nagy-Simon, M. Focsan, E. Licarete, O. Soritau, A. Vulpoi, S. Astilean, Colloid Surf. B, 203 (2021) 111755

Chitosan-coated triangular silver nanoparticles as a novel class of biocompatible, highly sensitive plasmonic platforms for intracellular SERS sensing and imaging M. Potara, S. Boca, E. Licarete, A. Damert, M. C. Alupei, M. T. Chiriac, O. Popescu, U. Schmidt, S. Astilean, Nanoscale, 5 (2013) 6013 - 6022 

Efficient combined near-infrared-triggered therapy: phototherapy over chemotherapy in chitosan-reduced graphene oxide-IR820 dye-doxorubicin nanoplatforms D. Zaharie-Butucel, M. Potara, S. Suarasan, E. Licarete, S. Astilean, J. Colloid. Interface Sci, 552 (2019) 218 - 229