Professor Sergey Piletsky | Professor
University of Leicester

Professor Sergey Piletsky, Professor, University of Leicester

Prof. S. Piletsky began his research career in 1985 after graduation from Kiev State University with a M.Sc. in Bioorganic Chemistry. In 1991 he received Ph.D. from Kiev Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry for a work on the design of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for nucleic acids. Since 1992 he worked on the development of sensors in world leading laboratories such as Prof. Karube in Tokyo University and Prof. Wolfbeis in Regensburg University. In 1998, he joined Prof. Turner in Cranfield University and became Professor in 2002. The aim of his research is on the development of a new generation of MIPs which could be used as an alternative to enzymes, antibodies and receptors in sensors and affinity separation. Among Sergey’s main scientific achievements were: (i) Development of computational approach for design of synthetic receptors; (ii) Development of new separation materials, assays and sensors for industrial applications and new synthetic ligands possessing biological activity; (iii) Development of solid-phase synthesis of MIP nanoparticles and automatic reactor suitable for large-scale commercial exploitation. For his scientific achievements Prof. Piletsky received a number of awards such as JSPS, DFG and Leverhulme Fellowships, the award of the President of Ukraine, Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award and DSc from Cranfield University in 2014. 
In Cranfield Sergey headed a major research group – Cranfield Biotechnology Centre (CBC), which consisted of 24 doctors and 22 PhD students. CBC was UK premier groups specialising in biosensors and molecular imprinting. Its reputation in biosensors has been supported by a number of research collaborations and partnerships formed with leading diagnostic companies, patents filed and granted. Cranfield team was mentioned “among the 12 key players in the World for the development of Biosensors for Medical Diagnostics” (Global Industry Analysts Inc, 2009). CBC maintained numerous links with companies (world-wide) engaged in diagnostics, chemical and pharma manufacturing. In 2013 Sergey has moved his group to University of Leicester where he continues his research on MIPs for diagnostic and in vivo applications. Sergey has published >280 research papers, reviews and patent applications (H index 50). In 2015 Sergey founded a company - MIP Diagnostics which he leads as a Research Director.

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