LNNano/CNPEM study on electrochemical sensors that can assess the effect of chemotherapy in breast cancer cells recognized at SIBEE
Bruna Gabrielle Olsen Pinto, a chemist and PhD student working at the Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano) at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), received the award for best oral presentation in the category “Innovations in Electrochemistry and Electroanalytics” during the XXV Brazilian Symposium on Electrochemistry and Electroanalytics (SIBEE), considered the country’s largest congress in this field. The event took place October 20–23 in Águas de Lindóia, São Paulo.
The award-winning work centers on developing microfluidic electrochemical sensors that can quickly assess the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs in cells from breast cancer patients. The concept involves growing tumor cells in a two-dimensional (2D) model directly on the surface of the chip’s sensors, creating a test platform that simulates the response of each patient’s cells to different treatments on a laboratory scale.
“The sensor we are developing combines chips with multiple sensors obtained via micro/nanofabrication techniques, rapid electrochemical measurements and machine learning models to interpret the data generated by the sensors. With this integration, we can estimate the viability of the cells and calculate important pharmacological parameters like the median lethal concentration (LC₅₀), which indicates the efficacy of different tested chemotherapy agents,” said Bruna Olsen.
One objective of the project, which is being carried out at CNPEM under the guidance of LNNano researcher Renato Sousa Lima, is to develop a sensor capable of speeding up and personalizing definition of chemotherapy protocols, making it possible to identify which drugs have the greatest therapeutic potential, non-invasively and in real time.
“The goal is to more quickly and more effectively define chemotherapy treatment for patients, so they can receive personalized treatment that is more therapeutically efficient with fewer side effects,” explained Lima.
The study is conducted in partnership with research groups led by Sandra Dias of the Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio/CNPEM) and Roger Chammas of the São Paulo State Cancer Institute (ICESP), and support from the São Paulo State Research Foundation (FAPESP). Publication of the initial results of the research, which began in July 2025, is expected during the first half of 2027.
About CNPEM
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is home to a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment and works on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. It is responsible for Sirius, the largest assembly of scientific equipment constructed in the country, and is currently constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. CNPEM’s research and development activities are carried out through its four National Laboratories: Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), Biorenewables (LNBR), as well as its Technology Unit (DAT) and the Ilum School of Science — an undergraduate program in Science and Technology supported by the Ministry of Education (MEC).
