RheCover: RheoRaman for unravelling molecular cross-talk in mucus. Beyond state-of-the art by combining Raman spectroscopy with a high-sensitivity recently acquired rheo-microscope.

The grant funds a new unique infrastructure allowing for detailed, high-sensitivity, quantitative Raman analysis of viscous and semi-viscous materials. This new RheoRaman setup will allow us to uncover and fully understand, at molecular level, the dynamic interactions and cross-talk between drug molecules and mucus, within drugs, and in undesired bacterial biofilm. This will allow for achieving fundamental understandings of the main challenges related to design of medicines for e.g. infections and chronic potentially life-threatening diseases that require drug uptake from for example the oral cavity, gut or nose. Hosting such unique equipment will be of high international interest due to its novelty, and facilitate international collaboration and development of new research talents.