We are delighted to announce the latest research article from Pedro Fonte and his team, titled: “Multifunctional CMC–Nanographene Oxide Hydrogels Couple Fluorophore-Free Cancer Cell Imaging with Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity”.

Published in Pharmaceutics (Q1, IF 6.9), this study presents the development of multifunctional carboxymethyl cellulose–nanographene oxide (CMC–nGO) hydrogels as sustainable, drug-free and fluorophore-free biointerfaces for potential biomedical applications.

The developed hydrogels combine fluorescence-assisted cell visualization, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, and electrochemical functionality within a single platform, while maintaining high cytocompatibility.

Key Highlights:

• Fluorophore-free imaging, with an approximately 8-fold increase in fluorescence signal in HeLa cells compared with untreated cells.
• Antioxidant activity reaching up to 96.5%.
• Antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli and Candida albicans.
• Electrochemical responsiveness, supporting the potential of the platform for future biosensing applications.
• High cytocompatibility, with approximately 100% HeLa cell viability after 24 hours under the tested conditions.

This work results from an international collaboration between Pedro Fonte’s research group and Prof. Fernanda Medeiros Borsagli’s group at UFVJM, bringing together researchers from Instituto Superior Técnico (iBB and i4HB), University of Algarve (CCMAR), and UFVJM.

Meet the Authors:

Jordane S. Rodrigues, Sofia O. D. Duarte, Micheli de Souza Bernardes, Paola Pirela, Beatriz Ruivinho, Filipa Ramos, Rafael Parada Savino, Andressa Raianny Silva Soares, Pedro Henrique Gomes Araújo, Fernanda Guerra Lima Medeiros Borsagli and Pedro Fonte. See more.