Polytech

EMNS

EMNS - Engineering of Molecular NanoSystems

WELCOME !

The EMNS Lab is part of the Chemistry and Materials Science Department of the Brussels School of Engineering and is active in various research topics with applications mainly in the field of Health and Environment.

NANOMATERIALS FOR SENSING APPLICATIONS

Nano-bioconjugates combine the exceptional properties of nanomaterials, such as the LSPR band of gold and silver nanostructures, with those of biological macromolecules. They are valuable tools which can lead to sensors with extreme selectivity and sensitivity or to smart Drug Delivery Systems and theranostic agents.

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MOLECULAR RECOGNITION: from organic solvents to water

Molecular receptors capable of binding neutral or charged guests with a high affinity and selectivity have potential applications in fields ranging from biological and environmental monitoring to separation science and drug delivery. A notable challenge in the field is the development of receptors that work in an aqueous medium, where most biological and environmental processes occur.

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ION TRANSPORT ACROSS LIPID BILAYERS

Synthetic ion transporters are seen as potential therapeutic agents able to restore malfunctions in the natural anion transport across biological membranes by proteins. Our work focuses on the development of new compounds and the physico-chemical characterization of transmembrane ion transport by organic carriers.

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News

All news of the EMNS Lab

Copper transport against cancer

January 15, 2026

An interdisciplinary team of ULB researchers has developed molecules that can transport copper ions across lipid membranes of cells. Together with colleagues of the Université Grenoble Alpes, they found that copper transport is an efficient way to kill cancer cells.

The EMNS lab is delighted to welcome new members!

January 6, 2026

Four young researchers join the team.

New Publication in Angewandte Chemie

December 11, 2025

Hennie's group and Nathalie Buschaert's team at Tulane University published work on the transport of cAMP and AMP across lipid bilayers using synthetic small molecules.

New Publication

November 26, 2025

Plasmon-mediated functionalization of colloidal gold nanoparticles through reductive grafting of diazonium salts under pulsed laser irradiation, by Bryan Gosselin, Maurice Retout, Victor Lepeintre, Jérôme Tisaun, Claire Mangeney, Cécile Moucheron, Gilles Bruylants* and Ivan Jabin* - First published: 18 November 2025

TV Interview on Nanoparticle-Based Cancer Diagnostics

November 7, 2025

On November 6, Prof. Gilles Bruylants appeared on "Les visages de la Recherche" (LN24) to present his research on the development of nanoparticle technology to support cancer diagnosis. The project is conducted in collaboration with Prof. Michel Meunier (Polytechnique Montréal) and Prof. Ivan Jabin (ULB), and is funded by the FNRS and the Fonds de recherche du Québec.