Les interactions entre les sucres et les lectines sont généralement l'étape clé dans de nombreux phénomènes biologiques et pathologiques. Malgré leu r importance cruciale, ces interactions sont paradoxalement caractérisées par des constantes d'affinité faibles et nécessite une multiprésentation des motifs saccharidiques pour être significatives. Cette augmentation est appelée "effet cluster". En outre, les techniques d'analyse actuellement utilisées en laboratoire nécessitent des quantités importantes de produits, ce qui est difficilement compatible avec les méthodes de synthèse actuelle. Pour pallier ces difficultés, une approche originale basée sur l'utilisation conjointe de glycooligonucléotide et de puces à ADN a été proposée. Les glycoconjugués basés sur des squelettes phosphodiesters et couplés à des séquences d'ADN ont été synthétisés en utilisant la chimie des oligonucléotides, couplée à la "click chemistry". La séquence d'ADN quant à elle a permis l'ancrage sur une puce à ADN et donc la mesure de leur affinité vis-à-vis de différentes lectines. Ce manuscrit rapporte le développement des nouvelles méthodologies de synthèse des glycooligonucléotides ainsi que la préparation de nombreux glycoconjugués originaux, dont l'affinité pour différentes lectines a été mesurée via l'utilisation de la puce à ADN. L'influence de plusieurs paramètres a été étudiée: le nombre de résidus, l'arrangement spatial, la lipophilie etc. Il s'avère que l'arrangement spatial semble être l'un des points les plus importants dans la mise au point d'un glycoconjugué. / The interactions between carbohydrates and lectins are generally the "key step" in many biological and pathological phenomena. Despite their importance, these interactions are paradoxically characterized by low affinity constants and requires multipresence of saccharide to be significant. This increase is called "cluster effect". In addition, the analysis techniques currently used in the laboratory requires large quantities of products, which is hardly compatible with the current methods of synthesis. To circumvent these difficulties, a original approach based on the combined use of glycooligonucleotides and DNA microarrays has been proposed. Glycoconjugates based on phosphodiester skeletons linked to DNA sequences have been synthesized using the chemistry of oligonucleotides, coupled with the "click chemistry". The DNA sequence has allowed the anchoring on a DNA chip and therefore the measurement of their affinity versus different lectins.This manuscript reports the development of new synthetic methodologies for the glycooligonucleotides synthesis and the preparation of many original glycoconjugates, whose affinity for various lectins was measured through the use of DNA microarray. The influence of several parameters was studied: the number of residues, the spatial arrangement, etc. lipophilicity. The spatial arrangement appears to be one of the most important parameters in the development of a glycoconjugate.

Les dendrimères greffés de L-lysine (DGL) ont des applications potentielles variées (agents antibactériens, antifongiques…). Ces dendrimères greffés sont obtenus selon un procédé original, mis au point au laboratoire, basé sur la polymérisation des N-carboxyanhydrides (NCA) de L-lysine. Les travaux de recherche décrits dans ce mémoire ont pour objectif d'évaluer (i) la faisabilité des différents modes de modification des DGL et (ii) l'activité antibactérienne des nouveaux conjugués synthétisés.Le manuscrit resitue d'abord les DGL parmi les différentes catégories de polymères dendritiques décrites dans la littérature. Il développe également les applications des oligo- et poly-ethylène glycols (OEG et PEG) comme agents pour la fonctionnalisation de molécules bioactives et la synthèse de bioconjugués. L'approche expérimentale de greffage d'oligo-homoarginines (Har)n à un DGL de troisième génération (DGL-G3) est ensuite abordée. Ces entités, ont été synthétisées de manière rapide et économique en introduisant les fonctions guanidinium à partir d'un DGL de première génération (DGL-G1) par une méthode innovante. La première partie de travail est consacrée à la synthèse de ces oligomères. La possibilité de greffage ultérieure de ces derniers nécessite la synthèse préalable de bras d'espacement bifonctionnels porteurs d'une fonction amine à une des extrémités et d'une fonction aldéhyde masquée à l'autre. L'amine de cet intermédiaire est destinée à amorcer la polymérisation du Lys(Tfa)-NCA, alors que l'aldéhyde sera utilisé pour l'ancrage covalent à la plateforme DGL-G3. La seconde partie de ce travail est consacrée à la conjugaison de l'oligomère (Har)n sur la plateforme DGL selon une réaction d'amination réductrice qui a été optimisée et à la synthèse de nouveaux conjugués portant des chaînes hydrophobes. Parmi tous les conjugués DGL synthétisés, seuls les ceux portant les chaînes hydrophobes ont amélioré l'activité antibactérienne. / L-Lysine dendrigrafts (DGLs) have various potential applications (antibacterial agents, antifungal agents…). These dendrigrafts are obtained according to an original procedure elaborated in our laboratory based on the polymerization of L-lysine N-carboxyanhydrides (Lys-NCA). The investigations carried out in the present dissertation are aimed at assessing (i) the feasibility of the different ways of modification of DGLs and (ii) the antibacterial activity of the synthesized conjugates. The manuscript begins by locating DGLs among the different categories of dendritic polymers reported in the literature. It also develops the applications of oligo- and poly-ethylene (OEG and PEG) as agents for the functionalization of bioactive molecules and for bioconjugate synthesis. An approach consisting in grafting third generation DGL (DGL-G3) with oligo-homoarginines (Har)n is then described. These entities have been synthesized from a first generation DGL (DGL-G1) using an innovative strategy for the elaboration of guanidinium-rich peptides in a straightforward and cheap strategy. The first part of this work is dedicated to the oligomer synthesis. The possibility of further grafting of the latter is conditioned by the preceding access to bifunctional spacers bearing an amino group on the one end and a masked aldehyde function on the other end. The amine will enable the initiation of Lys(Tfa)-NCA polymerization, whereas the aldehyde will serve for the covalent grafting to the DGL-G3 scaffold. The second part of this work is devoted to the DGL-G3 functionalization by the (Har)n oligomer through a reductive amination strategy that has been optimized and to the synthesis of new conjugates with hydrophobic side-chains. Among all the conjugates prepared, only those having hydrophobic chains lead to an increase in antibacterial activity.

Entre os diferentes tipos de substratos diazocarbonílicos encontrados na literatura, as diazocetonas α,β-insaturadas têm mostrado promissoras aplicações como intermediários multifuncionais. Este trabalho de tese foi dividido em três capítulos e visou expandir as aplicações das diazocetonas α,β-insaturadas em química e bioquímica. No primeiro capítulo, as diazocetonas foram apresentadas como plataformas para a síntese direta de amidas e ésteres β,γ-insaturados via Rearranjo de Wolff. Quando diazocetonas derivadas de amino-aldeídos foram utilizadas, isósteros peptídicos foram obtidos como demonstrado na síntese rápida e eficiente do nitróxido JP4-039. No mesmo capítulo, um estudo aprofundado comprovando a eficiência de diferentes lâmpadas comerciais (CFL e LED) para promover o Rearranjo de Wolff é apresentado, representando uma alternativa sustentável. O segundo capítulo é voltado a expansão da química das diazocetonas insaturadas para o estudo de reações de cicloadição [2+2] e [4+2]. Foi demonstrado o preparo dos ésteres precursores para reações de cicloadições via rearranjo de Wolff na presença de álcoois alílicos e as tentativas que culimaram na síntese de um cicloaduto de Diels-Alder. O capítulo 3 foi dedicado ao emprego das diazocetonas α,β-insaturadas para a modificação química específica de proteínas. As diazocetonas foram aplicadas com sucesso para este fim, assim como inspiraram o desenvolvimento de um novo método promissor de bioconjugacão seletiva para cisteínas. / Among the various types of diazocarbonyl substrates found in the literature, α,β-unsaturated diazoketones have shown a number of promising applications as multifunctional intermediates. This thesis is divided into three chapters, aimed at expanding the reactivity of such α,β-unsaturated diazoketones for synthetic chemistry and chemical biology applications. In the first chapter, diazoketones are presented as platforms for the direct synthesis of β,γ-unsaturated amides and esters via a Wolff rearrangement reaction. When diazoketones derived from amino-aldehyde are substrates, peptidic isosters are obtained, as demonstrated in the efficient synthesis of the nitroxide drug, JP4-039. In the same chapter, a study demonstrating the efficiency of several commercial light sources (CFL and LED) to promote the Wolff rearrangement was described, representing a sustainable alternative to UV lamps for this interesting reaction. The second chapter sought to expand the chemistry of unsaturated diazoketones for the study of [2 + 2] and [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions. The preparation of the precursor esters for cycloaddition reaction was demonstrated by the Wolff rearrangement of precursors in the presence of allylic alcohols, and the attempt then culminated in the synthesis of a Diels-Alder cycloadduct. Chapter 3 was devoted to the use of α,β-unsaturated diazoketones for the site-specific chemical modification of proteins. These have been successfully demonstrated for this purpose, as well as inspiring the development of a promising new method for selective bioconjugation of cysteines.

Entre os diferentes tipos de substratos diazocarbonílicos encontrados na literatura, as diazocetonas α,β-insaturadas têm mostrado promissoras aplicações como intermediários multifuncionais. Este trabalho de tese foi dividido em três capítulos e visou expandir as aplicações das diazocetonas α,β-insaturadas em química e bioquímica. No primeiro capítulo, as diazocetonas foram apresentadas como plataformas para a síntese direta de amidas e ésteres β,γ-insaturados via Rearranjo de Wolff. Quando diazocetonas derivadas de amino-aldeídos foram utilizadas, isósteros peptídicos foram obtidos como demonstrado na síntese rápida e eficiente do nitróxido JP4-039. No mesmo capítulo, um estudo aprofundado comprovando a eficiência de diferentes lâmpadas comerciais (CFL e LED) para promover o Rearranjo de Wolff é apresentado, representando uma alternativa sustentável. O segundo capítulo é voltado a expansão da química das diazocetonas insaturadas para o estudo de reações de cicloadição [2+2] e [4+2]. Foi demonstrado o preparo dos ésteres precursores para reações de cicloadições via rearranjo de Wolff na presença de álcoois alílicos e as tentativas que culimaram na síntese de um cicloaduto de Diels-Alder. O capítulo 3 foi dedicado ao emprego das diazocetonas α,β-insaturadas para a modificação química específica de proteínas. As diazocetonas foram aplicadas com sucesso para este fim, assim como inspiraram o desenvolvimento de um novo método promissor de bioconjugacão seletiva para cisteínas. / Among the various types of diazocarbonyl substrates found in the literature, α,β-unsaturated diazoketones have shown a number of promising applications as multifunctional intermediates. This thesis is divided into three chapters, aimed at expanding the reactivity of such α,β-unsaturated diazoketones for synthetic chemistry and chemical biology applications. In the first chapter, diazoketones are presented as platforms for the direct synthesis of β,γ-unsaturated amides and esters via a Wolff rearrangement reaction. When diazoketones derived from amino-aldehyde are substrates, peptidic isosters are obtained, as demonstrated in the efficient synthesis of the nitroxide drug, JP4-039. In the same chapter, a study demonstrating the efficiency of several commercial light sources (CFL and LED) to promote the Wolff rearrangement was described, representing a sustainable alternative to UV lamps for this interesting reaction. The second chapter sought to expand the chemistry of unsaturated diazoketones for the study of [2 + 2] and [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions. The preparation of the precursor esters for cycloaddition reaction was demonstrated by the Wolff rearrangement of precursors in the presence of allylic alcohols, and the attempt then culminated in the synthesis of a Diels-Alder cycloadduct. Chapter 3 was devoted to the use of α,β-unsaturated diazoketones for the site-specific chemical modification of proteins. These have been successfully demonstrated for this purpose, as well as inspiring the development of a promising new method for selective bioconjugation of cysteines.

L'objectif de cette thèse était de développer des outils multifonctionnels pour l’élaboration d’agents théranostiques en oncologie, notamment à base de nanotechnologies. Le projet est basé sur l’utilisation de plateformes multimodales monomoléculaires comme précurseurs pour la synthèse de nanoparticules, de bioconjugués ou encore de sondes imageantes à base de petites molécules.Les premiers travaux ont concerné la synthèse de précurseurs silanes comportant un agent chélatant. Ces nouveaux précurseurs ont été mis en oeuvre pour la fonctionnalisation de nanoparticules AGuIX et ont également été utilisés dans un nouveau procédé de synthèse « one-pot » d’AGuIX. Le radiomarquage de ces nanoparticules a été réalisé dans le but d'évaluer la stabilité de ces nanoparticules dans des conditions physiologiques. Par ailleurs, ces nanoparticules ont été étudiées dans un modèle de tumeur TSA afin de déterminer leur comportement pharmacocinétique, leur biodistribution et leur potentiel en imagerie bimodale TEP-IRM.Dans une deuxième partie, des blocs de construction / ligands ont été développés et utilisés avec succès pour la fonctionnalisation de nanoparticules d'or. Des ligands multimodaux contenant différentes combinaisons de chélateurs, de fonctions de ciblage, de groupes fonctionnels et de chromophores, ont été synthétisés. Les nanoparticules d'or pour l'imagerie TEP-IRM et SPECT (ciblant le PSMA) ont été ensuite radiomarquées (64Cu/111In) et ont montré une excellente stabilité. Le ligand à base de PSMA présente une bonne affinité vis-à-vis du PSMA, tandis que les études in vivo dans un modèle tumoral TSA des nanoparticules d'or pour l'IRM-TEP ont démontré les bonnes propriétés pharmacocinétiques de ces nanoparticules fonctionnalisées, et donc leur potentiel en imagerie et en radiothérapie.La dernière partie du travail de thèse concerne le développement de sondes TEP-Optique pour l'imagerie ciblée de tumeurs surexprimant le PSMA en utilisant de petites sondes moléculaires, ainsi que pour leur bioconjugaison sur des fragments d'anticorps et des nanoparticules. Une sonde ciblant le PSMA, à base de NODAGA et du fluorophore IR-783, a été développée et caractérisée afin de déterminer ses propriétés photophysiques, son affinité pour le PSMA, et les conditions de radiomarquage. Enfin, un analogue comportant une fonction maléimide a été utilisé avec succès pour le marquage site spécifique de fragments Fab' du trastuzumab, ainsi que pour la fonctionnalisation de nanoparticules AGuIX. Ces bioconjugués et ces nanoparticules ont été soigneusement caractérisés et évalués dans des modèles biologiques pertinents afin de mettre en évidence leur intérêt comme agents théranostiques. / The objective of this thesis was to develop multifunctional tools for cancer theranosis, particularly based on nanotechnology. The work is based on the premise of monomolecular multimodal platform that aims to create the building blocks that can be used for the synthesis of functionalized nanoparticles, bioconjugates or targeted small molecular imaging probes.The initial work focused on the synthesis of the chelator based silane precursors. These novel precursors were employed for the functionalization of AGuIX nanoparticles and have also been implicated in a one pot AGuIX synthesis. Radiolabelling of these nanoparticles was performed with the aim to evaluate the stability of these nanoparticles under physiological conditions. Furthermore, these nanoparticles were investigated in TSA tumor model in order to evaluate their pharmacokinetics, biodistribution behaviour and value in PET-MRI imaging.In the second part of the work, building blocks/ligands have been developed and successfully deployed for the functionalization of gold nanoparticles. Multimodal ligands containing different combinations of chelators, targeting moieties, functional groups and dyes were synthesized. Gold nanoparticles for PET-MRI and PSMA targeting SPECT imaging were further radiolabeled (64Cu/111In) and showed excellent stability. PSMA targeting ligand exhibited good affinity towards PSMA, whereas the in vivo studies of the gold nanoparticles for PET-MRI in TSA tumor model demonstrated good pharmacokinetics properties, underscoring their potential in cancer imaging and radiotherapy.The latter half of the thesis work focusses on the development of PET-Optical probes for PSMA positive cancer targeting imaging using small molecular probes, and for bioconjugation to antibody fragments and nanoparticles. A PSMA targeting probe based on NODAGA and IR-783 dye has been developed and characterized for its affinity, photophysical and radiolabelling properties. Likewise, a similar probe bearing a maleimide handle has been successfully used for the site-specific labelling of trastuzumab Fab’ fragments and functionalization of AGuIX nanoparticles. These bioconjugates and the nanoparticles have been thoroughly characterized and evaluated in relevant biological models to highlight their value in cancer theranosis.

Le développement de nouvelles réactions de ligation sélectives, capables de former des liens covalents dans des milieux complexes, est en plein essor depuis une dizaine d’années. Malgré de nombreux efforts, peu de réactions chimiques répondent aux critères de bioorthogonalité et la cycloaddition alcyne-azoture est devenue une réaction bioorthogonale essentielle à la fois pour les chimistes mais aussi pour les biochimistes.Le but de ce travail a été d’améliorer la cinétique de la réaction de cycloaddition alcyne-azoture catalysée par le cuivre, de façon à pouvoir réduire au maximum la quantité de cuivre nécessaire à la réaction et donc son éventuelle toxicité, notamment sur les cellules. Les efforts de recherche menés par de nombreux groupes dans le monde ont porté sur l’augmentation des capacités catalytiques du cuivre (I) par complexation avec des ligands appropriés. Dans un premier temps, à partir de ces résultats, une nouvelle série des ligands du cuivre a été développée au laboratoire et testée dans des milieux aqueux et biologiques. Dans un second temps, nous nous sommes intéressés à une nouvelle stratégie qui consiste à concevoir et synthétiser des azotures chélatants du cuivre. Ces azotures servent à la fois de ligands et de réactifs, et permettent d’accélérer considérablement les vitesses de réaction de la cycloaddition alcyne-azoture en milieu aqueux et en milieu complexe. Ces azotures ont été évalués pour des applications de « fishing » dans lysats cellulaires et sur cellules vivantes. / To improve the kinetic of the CuAAC (Copper Catalyzed Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition) reaction and to overcome the problems of cytotoxicity of copper which preclude many applications in bioconjugation, recent research efforts have focused on the use of appropriate ligands in combination with copper. Indeed, certain ligands can be added to the reaction solution to bind copper, accelerate reaction, prevent the disproportion and slow down the oxygen reaction. During the first part of my PhD, we have synthesized a new library of ligands bearing amines as specific complexing sites for copper. These libraries of ligands were tested on the CuAAC reaction in diluted aqueous media and in complex media through the use of a fluorogenic assays. Ligands developed in the laboratory were compared with known ligands for the CuAAC, described in the literature. In a second part, we envisioned another strategy to accelerate the kinetics of the CuAAC. For that purpose, we synthesized new azides bearing copper complexation sites by introducing in their structure a copper chelating moiety. Those different azides have been tested in the CuAAC reaction with the help of fluorogenic assays, in diluted aqueous media and in cell lysate. Best chelating azides were tested also in “fishing” experiments of proteins in cell lysate and in cells.

The conjugation of a small organic molecule to synthetic polypeptides from a designed set has been shown to give rise to binders with high affinity and selectivity for the phosphorylated model proteins α-casein and β-casein but not for ovoalbumin. The small organic molecule that was used for this purpose is comprised of two di-(2-picolyl)amine groups assembled on a dimethylphenyl scaffold, and is capable of complexing two Zn2+ ions to form chelates that bind the phosphate ion. The designed polypeptides used for binder construction have no precedence in nature and do not show any prior selectivity favouring any single protein. The polypeptide conjugate binders showed high affinity towards the model protein α-casein, the binder molecule 4C15L8-PP1 bound α-casein with a dissociation constant KD of 17 nM, although the di-(2-picolyl) amine based chelate in the presence of Zn2+ bound phosphate ion with dissociation constants in the low mM range. The observed affinity is due to interactions between the Zn2+ chelate and the phosphate groups of α-casein and also to interactions between the polypeptide scaffold and α-casein. The binder was found to selectively extract α-casein from buffer, bovine milk and human serum spiked with α-casein. The flexible construction of the binder permits for flexible modifications like attachment of fluorophores for titrations and quantifications. The binders were shown to efficiently capture α-casein from human serum when immobilized on solid support in a continuous flow system and to release the captured α-casein upon a simple change of pH using 0.1% acqueous trifluoroacetica acid. The developed technology brings new opportunities in investigating posttranslational phosphorylation events that are involved in signaling cascades and triggering many biologically relevant functions. A new chemical linker technology has also been developed for the purpose of conjugating biomolecules taking advantage of amino groups for the conjugation. By combining two esters with different reactivities, separated by an aliphatic chain, a molecular tool was developed that allows for controlled conjugation of biomolecules. The two esters react at different rates and can therefore be separated and allowed to react under different conditions in each step, thereby allowing for selective linkage formation between the subunits. The size of the spacer can be varied by selecting the appropriate dicarboxylic acid. The developed technology was shown to provide specificity in heteroconjugate formation in the assembly of a variety of heteroconjugates where polypeptides were combined with other peptides, carbohydrates and proteins.

Molecular imaging is an emerging imaging principle which can visually represent the biological processes both spatially and temporally down to the sub-cellular level in vivo. The outcome of this research is expected to have a profound impact on facilitating the early diagnosis of diseases, accelerating the development of new drugs, and improving the efficacy of therapy. In general, molecular imaging highly relies on probes to sense the occurrence of molecular biological events, and to generate signals which could be picked up by diagnostic imaging modalities. The advances in the design of molecular probes not only have equipped traditional anatomical medical imaging with new capabilities but also, in some cases, stimulated developments of new imaging modalities and renaissance of existing medical imaging modalities. One of these is photoacoustic imaging, which as an emerging medical imaging modality, unites the merits from both optical imaging and ultrasound imaging. It shares with optical imaging, that it uses non-ionizing radiation and provides higher contrast and higher sensitivity than ultrasound imaging. Unlike optical imaging, which requires ballistic photons for imaging, photoacoustic imaging requires only diffusive photons to excite the ultrasound signal from the imaging target; therefore, it is capable of imaging much deeper into the tissue. In combination with molecular probes, photoacoustic molecular imaging has been demonstrated by several research groups using various photoacoustic molecular probes. However, the molecular probes used for most of these studies were contrast agents simply adopted from other optical imaging modalities. Our research on photoacoustic contrast agents indicated that the mechanism of photoacoustic signal generation from nanometer-sized contrast agents is distinct from that of optically homogeneous materials, such as tissue. We have discovered that, the amplitude of the photoacoustic signal generated from nano-contrast agents depends not only on the optical absorption of the particles, but more importantly, on the dynamic process of the heat conduction from the nanoparticles to the ambient, and the thermal properties of the surrounding materials. Based on our finding, we explored and further improved the photoacoustic response of the nanoparticles by exploiting the heat conduction process between the nanoparticle and its surrounding materials and by manipulating the excitations. This research allows to create optimized molecular specific contrast enhanced photothermal stable probes which can aid photoacoustic imaging and image guided photothermal cancer therapy. / text

This thesis focuses on surface science and bioengineering investigations, first for the development of an improved biomaterial for orthopaedic implant applications, and second, for the development of a biosensor device for biomedical diagnostics. A key component considered in this thesis was the covalent linkage of proteins to the material’s surface for retaining the protein’s immunological and biological activities and for generating a functional interface. Part 1 of this thesis investigated surface modification procedures for improving the bioactivity of titanium substrates. Titanium is first coated with a bioactive silica film grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD), referred to as PECVD-Si-Ti. In previous studies, the bone-implant integration process was enhanced 1.6-fold for titanium implants coated with PECVD-Si films compared to uncoated titanium implants in vivo. However, in vitro studies carried out in this thesis showed that the growth of MG63 osteoblast-like cells was 7-fold higher on uncoated titanium compared to PECVD-Si coated titanium. Therefore, to improve cell growth on the surface and, by inference, the integration of PECVD-Si-Ti implants into bone tissue, the implant’s surface was functionalised with a mitogenic factor, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). This was accomplished by modifying the PECVD-Si-Ti surface with an alkoxysilane, 3-isocyanatopropyl triethoxysilane (IPTES), and then by covalent bioconjugation of IGF-1 through isocyanate-amino chemistry. After 72 h of in vitro cell culture in serum-free medium, the growth of MG63 cells was enhanced 1.9-fold on IPTES functionalised PECVD-Si-Ti, which was loaded with covalently immobilised IGF-1 compared to IPTES functionalised PECVD-Si-Ti without IGF-1 (isocyanate reactive groups were quenched with ethanolamine hydrochloride). The attachment and adhesion of MG63 cells were also enhanced on PECVD-Si-Ti by the covalently immobilised IGF-1 in serum-free cell culture conditions. Therefore, the bioactivity of PECVD-Si-Ti was improved by covalently linking IGF-1 to the substrate surface through isocyanate-amino chemistry. Part 2 of this thesis involved the development of a new optical interferometric biosensor. The biosensor platform was constructed from electrochemically-prepared thin films of porous silicon that acted as a sensing matrix and transducer element. By reflective interferometry using white light, an enzyme-catalysed reaction was discovered (horseradish peroxidase (HRP) mediated oxidation of 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB)), which led to an acceleration in the rate of porous silicon corrosion and represented the biosensor’s readout signal. We discovered that another substrate, which is also oxidised by HRP, OPD, produces an even more pronounced readout signal. The HRP-OPD system was used in an immunoassay for detecting human IgG from an Intragam solution. An important part in the design of the biosensor was the surface functionalisation approach where anti-human IgG, referred to as the capture antibody, is immobilised on the porous silicon surface. The readout signal (produced from the capture of human IgG) was enhanced 4-fold on the porous silicon biosensing platform functionalised with covalently linked anti-human IgG through isocyanate-amino chemistry compared to the porous silicon biosensing platform functionalised with adsorbed anti-human IgG. The optimised biosensor was used to detect IgG from a total human protein concentration of Intragam to a sensitivity of 100 ng/ml. In summary, isocyanate-amino bioconjugate chemistry was used to covalently link either IGF-1 to PECVD-Si-Ti for improving the biological activity of the orthopaedic implant and to covalently link IgG to porous silicon for developing a sensitive biosensor for the detection of proteins. This surface chemistry approach is very useful for biomaterial and biosensing applications.

This thesis describes the design, synthesis and application of artificial metalloenzymes for transition metal catalysed reactions not performed by natural enzymes. Unique cysteine containing protein templates were covalently modified with transition metal ligand complexes that generate catalytic activity, which allows for the use of virtually any protein template. SCP-2L was selected as template for the linear hydrophobic tunnel that traverses the protein, which has high affinity for linear aliphatic molecules. The use of catalysts based on this protein to induce increased activity in the biphasic hydroformylation of linear α-olefins is investigated in this work. For this purpose, unique cysteine containing mutants of SCP-2L were modified with phosphine ligands by application of a novel bioconjugation procedure. Application of rhodium adducts of the phosphine modified protein constructs led to up to a 100 fold increase of the turn over numbers was measured compared to a Rh/TPPTS model system which is used in industry. Furthermore, good selectivity towards the linear product was observed. If it can be confirmed that the found catalytic results truly are the result of substrate encapsulation by the protein scaffold, this system represents the first rationally designed artificial metalloenzyme which exploits the shape selectivity of the protein scaffold to direct the outcome of a catalytic reaction. In addition, a study was performed for the development of enantioselective artificial metalloenzymes. Nitrogen ligands were covalently introduced in SCP-2L and the obtained conjugates were applied in the copper catalysed Diels-Alder and Michael addition reaction. A promising 25% ee was found for the Diels-Alder reaction between azachalcone and cyclopentadiene using one of the created constructs. Further development of these catalyst systems with the use of both synthetic (e.g. optimisation of ligand structure) and biomolecular tools (e.g. optimisation of protein environment) for optimisation can lead to very efficient and enantioselective conversions in the future.