This research aims to develop novel supramolecular hydrogels and study their application as singlet oxygen (1O2) carriers. In medicine, 1O2 generated in-vivo through photochemistry has been used to treat a variety of ailments including bacterial infections, acne, and several types of cancer. Though promising, this approach suffers from drawbacks such as diminished effectiveness in hypoxic conditions, both native and induced and lack of control over the total concentration and dosage of active 1O2. Recently, endoperoxides (EPO) have been identified as a potential solution for those, as they are self-contained sources of 1O2 produced ex-situ. However, they still do not allow for precise spatiotemporal control of 1O2 release, which is desirable to maximize for effectiveness of the treatment. Grafting EPOs on solid supports has been explored as a solution, but the state-of-the-art materials rely on complicated supports with low EPO loadings and thermal release mechanisms. Herein, we propose a new strategy for spatiotemporal control of 1O2 through the unprecedented use of hydrogels as EPO carriers. Hydrogels offer an easy to control and stable, but not persistent matrix in which the main component is water. The OTHO (oxotriphenylhexanoate) hydrogels enjoy unparalleled modularity, due to their highly robust and selective multicomponent one-pot synthesis. Thus, we will synthesize a range of OTHOs containing EPO units and perform detailed studies by rheology, solid-state NMR, small-angle x-ray and neutron scattering and electron microscopy to understand the properties and behavior of the resulting hydrogels. The biocompatibility and cytotoxic profile of the materials will be investigated against yeast cells expressing human disease markers. This will pave the way for a new breed of supramolecular pharmacology materials for 1O2 therapy against cancer.

Diatoms are unicellular eukaryotic algae (microalgae) and one of the most common and diverse type of marine phytoplankton. Thanks to a flexible cell metabolism, they dominate in environmental conditions normally unfavorable for photosynthesis, i.e. freezing seawater, low light intensity and short photoperiod. Moreover, diatoms are able to synthesize storage lipids (20-50% of cell dry weight) that can be used for production of renewable biomass and high-value fatty acids. However, the success of these microalgae as feedstock depends on lowering the production cost. The proposed project aims to develop mixotrophic cultivation (i.e. the simultaneous use of light and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis and organic carbon for respiration) to maximize growth and outdoor productivity for selected strains from the Swedish west coast. The focus will be on the bloom-forming coastal diatom Skeletonema marinoi (S. marinoi) whose sequence annotation is ongoing, and the recent knowledge on mixotrophic growth of the model diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum will be employed. The main objectives will be: i) using the bloom-forming S. marinoi to better understand mixotrophic metabolism in diatoms; ii) exploring the optimal mixotrophic conditions for enhanced productivity of S. marinoi; iii) investigating the potential industrial applications of S. marinoi when cultivated under mixotrophy. To achieve these objectives, an interdisciplinary approach including computational, biophysical, analytical, biotechnological and biological methods will be employed. A mixotrophic outdoor cultivation of marine microalgae in the dynamic climate of the Swedish west coast could provide a higher total production of renewable biomass for industry.

The rapidly increasing green technology transition efforts of the European Union to combat climate change resulted in an unprecedented demand for critical raw materials like rare earth elements, cobalt, nickel and even base metals. These materials are core components of wind turbines and electric cars. However, to fulfil these needs, the EU heavily relies on countries with a high risk of supply chain disruption due to political instability. Therefore, the exploration efforts to find new deposits within the EU borders are crucial to securing economic independence and realising a CO2-free society. The Swedish part of the Fennoscandian Shield has serious potential to discover new deposits. For instance, it hosts the largest rare earth element reserve in the EU. The areal extension of the Fennoscandian Shield is over 1 million km2 and composed of complex magmatic, metamorphic and metasedimentary rocks dating back to Archean. Over time, due to multiple orogenic events, critical raw material deposits formed and re-mobilized in diverse ways. Understanding the formation mechanisms is crucial to locating them. My project, “CRITTER: Strengthening the Critical Raw Material Independence of the EU through thermochronology" will be the first study to reconstruct the thermal history of the Fennoscandian Shield from a critical raw material perspective. It will be achieved by the interdisciplinary combination of novel high-temperature mica in-situ Rb-Sr dating at the Dept. of Earth Sciences, Gothenburg and by low-temperature zircon, rutile in-situ U-Pb-He double dating at the Geoscience Center, Göttingen. These are world-class laboratories in their respective field. The research will target five key critical raw material deposits in the Bergslagen ore province of southwestern Sweden. The findings will fill a decisive knowledge gap in identifying the nature and timeline of "re-heating" and subsequent ore re-mobilization and re-deposition events from Proterozoic to Present times.