The Optical Communication and electronic applications group (COAE) was established in 1994 within the Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering department of the Public University of Navarre, Spain. Its research is based on the synergy of several lines, including photonic sensors towards development of biomedical devices, among others. The research is highly applied and transversal, but it has a particular interest in the development of photonic technology in health fields, fundamentally. A current research line of work is the development of a LMR-based optical waveguide sensing platform towards detection of single strand DNA or protein in aqueous environment.

Over the past five years, the group has published more than a hundred international papers and fifty conference contributions in these topics, with several research projects supported by Spanish Government and European Union funding. Furthermore, various R&D projects have been jointly carried out with leading technology companies. The group has multiple international contacts and networks. Finally, members of the group are inventors of 8 patents in exploitation, many others available and have created 10 spin-offs.

Members: Working in this specific research line there are 17 staff members in addition to postdoctoral researchers and postgraduate students work within this subgroup. In total, the COAE group consists of more than 30 members.

Spin-offs generated in the applicant research group:

† Not active, ‖ Re-founded and active, ¥ In the process of creation, all the rest, active

 Last doctoral defended thesis:

• Ozcariz Celaya, Aritz Materials for the fabrication of optical fiber refractometers based on lossy mode resonance. Universidad Pública de Navarra 2020.
• Mompó Roselló, Juan José, “Contribution to the development of distributed fiber optic sensors based on the Brillouin and Rayleigh scattering effects”. Universidad Pública de Navarra 2020.
• De Miguel Soto, Verónica Contribution to the development of Rayleigh-Based fiber optic systems for sensing applications. Universidad Pública de Navarra 2019.
• López Torres, Diego, “Contribution to the development of optical fibre sensors based on microstructured optical fibres to detect gases and volatile organic compounds”. Universidad Pública de Navarra 2019.
• Mariñelarena Ollacarizqueta, Jon “Contributions to the development of Brillouin distributed sensors for structural health monitoring”. Universidad Pública de Navarra 2019.
• Zubiate Orzanco, Pablo, “Optimization of Lossy Mode Resonance optical fiber devices for biosensing applications”. Universidad Pública de Navarra 2019.
• Ascorbe Muruzabal, Joaquín, “Design and development of optical structures towards optical fiber sensors fabrication”. Universidad Pública de Navarra 2019.

• Regional Centre on Information and Communication Technology, Optoelectronics and Photonics Pole (Prof. Andrea Cusano) – CeRICT- OPP, Italy
• Nadetech Innovations S.L., Spain (Juan A. Ruíz-Fuentes)
• Iberico International Nanotechnology Lab (Dr. Paulo Freitas)
• Erasmus University of Rotterdam. (Prof. Guido W, Jenster)
• CNR (Dr. Francesco Chiaviacholi)
• Latvijas Biomedicinas Centrs (Prof. Aija Liné)
• EverSens S.L. (Leyre Ruete).
• Macquarie University, Australia (Prof. Subhas Mukhopadhyay), etc.

Research stay of at least 3 months offered at Nadetech Innovations S.L. company, which is an international referent in materials and nanodeposition techniques. These are necessary in the development the photonic platform for the detection of biomedical species using the LMR technology. Besides being trained in key research infrastructure, the fellow will also get skilled in other interdisciplinary aspects of the company, such as technology market, technology transfer, public-private funds and human resources.

Additionally the postdoc fellow will have also the possibility to make some stays in any of the relevant partner labs of the supervisor related to the biomedical area, like the Erasmus University of Rotterdam or the Latvijas Biomedicinas Centrs, among others.

PATHFINDER OPEN proposal under review for the development of a new breakthrough technology based on the combination of Lossy Mode Resonances technology and optical resonators with a multi-stage microfluidic system. If accepted, the postdoctoral fellow will work on this disruptive all-in-one platform for detection, enumeration and study of the content of EVs by lysis and a further proteomics and genomics analysis, which implies challenges such as the utilization of magnetic nanoparticles with adhered nanobodies or a multiplexing system that separately detects the content of the EVs. For the generation of  the resonances it is necessary to deposit thin films of different materials using different techniques, hence the importance of the participation of the company Nadetech Innovations and the proposed secondment.