Leibniz-Institute of Photonic Technology, Jena, Germany, EU
Position: Head of the Department Nanobiophotonics at the Leibniz-Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz-IPHT), Jena, Germany
Specialization: Passive Molecular Plasmonics: LSPR (localized surface plasmon resonance)-based bioanalytics and Active Molecular Plasmonics: plasmonic (nano)manipulation
At the NANOCON´23 conference Prof. Wolfgang Fritzsche will present the lecture “Bioanalytics with Plasmonic Nanoparticles” in Session C - Bionanotechnology, Nanomaterials in Medicine.
Personal Background and Education:
Wolfgang Fritzsche studied chemistry in Jena and received his doctorate in 1994 in high-resolution microscopy of DNA-protein complexes at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry and the Georg August University in Göttingen. After a research stay at Iowa State University in the USA, W. Fritzsche returned to Jena in 1996 and took over the management of the "Molecular Nanotechnology" working group and later the management of the "Nanobiophotonics" department at the IPHT. He was the President of the German Society for Cytometry (DGfZ) 2016 - 2018 and organizes annual conferences on Molecular Plasmonics and DNA Nanotechnology.
Research interests:
The Nanobiophotonics group led by Prof. Wolfgang Fritzsche develops innovative methods for molecular detection based on the optical properties of plasmonic nanoparticles in combination with molecular components. He produces new metal nanoparticles and metallic nanostructures with precisely defined optical properties and then combines these materials with biomolecules such as DNA. They integrate these hybrid nanostructures, for example, into the hair-thin channels of microfluidic chips and thus obtain a miniature analysis laboratory. The metal nanostructures are suitable as sensitive optical markers and sensors for medical diagnostics. Here the focus is on the detection and identification of DNA molecules of pathogenic germs. They have established an optical platform that, thanks to the DNA sensors, enables the rapid and parallel detection of sepsis-relevant fungal pathogens. Other fields of application are the analysis of food and water as well as solving environmental technology issues. As active optical antennas, the nanostructures are able to release the energy introduced as light very locally as heat or electrons. They can be used for high-precision material processing or catalysis on the nanoscale.
Summary of publication activity:
Author and co-author of about 160 publications in international peer-reviewed journals: around 8.900 citations and H-index: 49, (Google Scholar, March 2023).
Teaching activities:
Dr. Fritzsche is involved in teaching Physical Chemistry as well as Instrumental Analytics for pharmacists, Optical Sensors/Microfluidics in the master ‘s degree programme Medical Photonics, and Nanobiophotonics in the master ‘s degree programme Chemistry of Materials.