Luana Tortora

Dr. Tortora moved to US in 2005, and here she started as a post-doctoral fellow in a joined project between the Liquid Crystal Institute and the Department of Physics at Kent State University. In 2007 she became a Research Associate at the Liquid Crystal Institute. While working at the Liquid Crystal Institute at KSU, she was responsible of conducting research in material science within projects for industrial companies and US government agencies. She also served as peer reviewer for industry and research journals, and as student research mentor.

In 2013 she joined Crystal Diagnostics as a Senior Material Scientist, in this role her achievements have been: the introduction of a new liquid crystal in the detection device, the development of an efficient pathogen capture methodology based on a receptor-pathogen-receptor “sandwich” complex, optical signal amplification, the optimization of flexo-printing deposition of polyimide films, the introduction of alternative deposition techniques on glass and plastics, and the implementation of new manufacturing and quality control processes. In 2018 she became the Director of Materials Research and Development.

Her most recent achievements at CDx are the granting of two patents and the AOAC accreditation for E. coli O157.

Dr. Tortora has an expertise in chemical physics of liquid crystals, polymer dispersed liquid crystals, synthesis and characterization of chromonic liquid crystals, liquid crystal biosensors and liquid crystal device prototyping, thin films alignment and characterization, clean room protocols, synthesis and functionalization of particle for optical and biological applications, cells culture techniques and cells counting protocols, handling of Biosafety Level 1 pathogens, and Biosafety Level 2 pathogens.

She has experience with several characterization techniques such as optical and fluorescent confocal microscopy, ellipsometry, UV-VIS/IR spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermo gravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), coherent anti-stokes raman scattering microscopy (CARS), and soft X-ray spectromicroscopy.

Dr. Tortora has a BS in Chemistry with specialization in chemical physics and a Ph.D. in Science and Technology of Mesophases and Molecular Materials from UNICAL, Italy.