Ana S. Peinetti, Ph.D.

Research

The Peinetti lab integrates bioengineering tools, molecular biology techniques, and nanomaterials to develop highly selective and sensitive biosensors. The lab is structured to combine tailor-made nanomaterials with advanced functional biomolecules, addressing critical challenges in diagnostic tests for infectious diseases and environmental monitoring.

We focus on designing new aptamers through in vitro selection, creating biomolecules with unique selectivity—such as the ability to differentiate between infectious and noninfectious viruses, virus variants, and serotypes. Additionally, we are dedicated to developing ultrasensitive, rapid, and point-of-care biosensors using novel amplification reactions in nanotechnology.    

The spread of insect-borne arboviruses, which can cause illnesses such as dengue and chikungunya, remains a public health priority in Latin America. As an Innovation Fund investigator, Ana Peinetti, Ph.D., is teaming up with Daiana Capdevila, Ph.D., to develop a low-cost, in vitro transcription-based platform to detect the presence of viral antigens in patient serum samples. The pair will develop a method in which engineered molecules will capture viral antigens and trigger detection, resulting in a positive or negative readout. Current molecular diagnostics focus solely on amplifying viral DNA for detection, which is often not portable or requires expensive consumables and maintenance. This work will combine Capdevila’s expertise in synthetic biology and transcriptional regulation with Peinetti’s expertise in synthetic DNA bioengineering and biosensor development. Work from this project will revolutionize point of care and molecular diagnostics to include antigen testing, which could improve detection of emerging viruses to help curb outbreaks.