Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bohm Lee, Yongcheol Cho
Summary: Neurons in different nervous systems have varying abilities to regenerate, with rodents serving as key models for studying these mechanisms and advancing understanding of human diseases and treatment methods.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Donghee Lee, Navatha Shree Sharma, S. M. Shatil Shahriar, Kai Yang, Zheng Yan, Jingwei Xie
Summary: Electrospun nanofibers have found wide applications in neurobiology studies due to their biomimetic properties. However, current in vitro culture systems lack control of cell-nanofiber interactions and monitoring of single cell behavior. To address these challenges, researchers have developed a unique nanofiber embedded microfluidic device that combines microfluidic technology with electrospun nanofibers to study interactions between neurons and nanofiber materials. The device allows testing of how different topographies affect axonal growth and conducting laser-based axotomy to investigate axonal regeneration. This device can be a valuable tool for investigating nerve injury mechanisms and high-throughput screening of biomaterials or drugs for nerve repair, and can be applied in the design of medical devices such as nerve conduits for effective nerve regeneration.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Lei Yang, Xiaocheng Wang, Yunru Yu, Luoran Shang, Wei Xu, Yuanjin Zhao
Summary: Inspired by the multiple adhesion mechanisms of pollen particles and marine mussels, a novel type of dual-adhesive hydrogel particles for bone regeneration is developed. The particles exhibit hierarchical porous morphology and molecular-level adhesion, and can promote angiogenesis and osteogenic differentiation. These dual-adhesive particles have great potentials for bone repair and wound healing applications.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kevin S. Zhang, Ambika Nadkarni, Rajorshi Paul, Adrian M. Martin, Sindy K. Y. Tang
Summary: Microscale surgery has made significant advances in fundamental biology and engineering biological systems, but manual operations are labor-intensive and lack reproducibility. Microfluidics provides a powerful technology to control and manipulate cells and multicellular systems at the micro- and nanoscale with high precision. This review summarizes the physical and chemical mechanisms, design principles, applications, and implementations of microscale surgery in microfluidic systems. Existing challenges and opportunities are highlighted throughout the review.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lei Yang, Lu Fan, Xiang Lin, Yunru Yu, Yuanjin Zhao
Summary: A pearl powder hybrid bioactive scaffold developed by mimicking bone tissue extracellular matrix shows promising potential for bone regeneration. With the help of microfluidic-assisted 3D printing technology, the scaffold composition and structure can be accurately controlled. The scaffold, made of fish gelatin and pearl powder, exhibits good biocompatibility, cell adhesion, and osteogenic differentiation ability. Furthermore, the controlled release of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from the scaffold promotes angiogenesis, resulting in accelerated bone regeneration.
Article
Neurosciences
Annelies Van Dyck, Luca Masin, Steven Bergmans, Giel Schevenels, An Beckers, Benoit Vanhollebeke, Lieve Moons
Summary: Unlike mammals, adult zebrafish can fully regenerate axons and recover from neuronal damage in the central nervous system. By studying optic nerve injury-induced axonal regrowth in zebrafish, researchers have observed dendritic remodeling and changes in mitochondrial dynamics, which contribute to effective axonal and dendritic repair. A novel microfluidic model has been developed to investigate these interactions and explore how redirecting energy resources supports successful regeneration.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Bo P. Lear, Darcie L. Moore
Summary: Axon regeneration is limited in the adult mammalian central nervous system due to intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The developmental age can influence the axon growth ability, with embryonic rodents showing longer axons compared to postnatal and adult neurons. This review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of human neuronal model systems and highlights the importance of studying axon growth in human neurons to uncover novel drivers of axon growth in the field of CNS regeneration.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Zachary D. Frankman, Linan Jiang, Joyce A. Schroeder, Yitshak Zohar
Summary: Breast cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and is the most common cancer among women in the United States. Microfluidics technology has the potential to revolutionize breast cancer research by providing a platform to study cellular behaviors in a physiological microenvironment. This review highlights the applications of microfluidics in breast cancer detection, dormancy, and therapeutic development.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Marc Hernaiz-Llorens, Ramon Martinez-Marmol, Cristina Rosello-Busquets, Eduardo Soriano
Summary: Central nervous system damage from various causes is a major worldwide contributor to physical disability. The limited ability of the adult nervous system to heal and regenerate after injury has prompted research into therapies to enhance axonal regeneration. Recent findings suggest a link between the stability and composition of lipid rafts and the capacity of axons to rebuild functional neural circuits after damage.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lian Xu, Zhifeng Chen, Xiaodi Li, Hui Xu, Yu Zhang, Weiwei Yang, Jing Chen, Shuqiang Zhang, Lingchi Xu, Songlin Zhou, Guicai Li, Bin Yu, Xiaosong Gu, Jian Yang
Summary: This study re-analyzed 21 RNA-seq datasets and identified 53 evolutionarily conserved injury response genes, including species-preference injury response candidates and genes related to pre-regenerative and regenerating states. Furthermore, a large sex difference in response to sciatic nerve injury was found.
Article
Neurosciences
Barbara Rangel da Silva, Ricardo A. de Melo Reis, Victor Tulio Ribeiro-Resende
Summary: The vascular and nervous systems have similarities and play complex roles in providing oxygen and nutrients to cells. They are both highly branched networks that often grow close to each other during development. Recent studies have focused on their relationship in peripheral nervous system regeneration, where endothelial cells guide the formation of Bungner bands that support axonal regeneration.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Ana Catarina Costa, Monica Mendes Sousa
Summary: Neurons are polarized cells and the regulation of the microtubule cytoskeleton is crucial for their function. A group of microtubule-severing enzymes, including spastin, have been found to play an important role in regulating microtubule organization and axonal transport.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Cristian Saquel, Romina J. Catalan, Rodrigo Lopez-Leal, Ramon A. Ramirez, David Necunir, Ursula Wyneken, Christophe Lamaze, Felipe A. Court
Summary: Functional recovery after peripheral nerve injuries relies on axonal regeneration, which is regulated by both autonomous and non-cell autonomous processes. This study demonstrates that neuronal activity enhances the release of repair Schwann cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their transfer to neurons. This effect is mediated by the ATP-P2Y signaling pathway and leads to increased content of miRNA-21 in the EVs. These findings highlight the importance of neuron to glia communication in regulating axonal elongation through the transfer of EVs.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tongling Zhang, Zhaoqi Wang, Zhaojie Wang, Xuening Pang, Letao Yang, Li Li, Liming Cheng, Rongrong Zhu
Summary: This study developed a layered double hydroxides (LDH)-doped gelatin-chitosan scaffold with aligned microchannels (GC-LDH/A scaffold) to address the repair challenges for effective spinal cord injury (SCI) treatment. The scaffold activated the anti-inflammatory polarization of macrophages and microglia, promoted neurogenesis, and guided axonal growth from the rostral to caudal of the lesion site. This provides a promising strategy for SCI repair.
APPLIED MATERIALS TODAY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Aijaz Parray, Naveed Akhtar, Ghulam Jeelani Pir, Sajitha Pananchikkal, Raheem Ayadathil, Fayaz Ahmad Mir, Reny Francis, Ahmed Own, Ashfaq Shuaib
Summary: This study found that the level of RGMa mRNA is increased in patients with acute stroke, and this increase is observed in patients with both lacunar and cortical stroke. The increase in RGMa mRNA level is related to the severity of stroke and gradually increases over the first 5 days after stroke onset.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Baoyue Zhang, Ziyi Huang, Huixue Song, Hyun Soo Kim, Jaewon Park
Summary: Monitoring intracranial pressure is crucial for patients at risk of brain injury or hydrocephalus. Existing invasive monitoring methods have limitations, prompting the development of a wearable, non-invasive ICP sensor that provides accurate and stable measurements.
Editorial Material
Engineering, Biomedical
Alessandro Grattoni, Arum Han
BIOMEDICAL MICRODEVICES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Sungjin Kim, Lauren Richardson, Enkhtuya Radnaa, Zunwei Chen, Ivan Rusyn, Ramkumar Menon, Arum Han
Summary: The study found that maternal exposure to cadmium can result in significant cell death and a pro-inflammatory environment in the maternal decidua, but minimal effect on the fetal chorion cells and no effect on the fetal amnion cells. This indicates that the adverse effects of cadmium originate from maternal pathophysiology rather than fetal triggers of preterm labor.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Esha Ganguly, Ananth Kumar Kammala, Meagan Benson, Lauren S. Richardson, Arum Han, Ramkumar Menon
Summary: The study suggests that transporter proteins in fetal membranes play a crucial role in drug transport at the feto-maternal interface, contributing to improving drug delivery testing during pregnancy and designing drug delivery strategies to treat adverse pregnancy outcomes.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shangjing Xin, Kaivalya A. Deo, Jing Dai, Navaneeth Krishna Rajeeva Pandian, David Chimene, Robert M. Moebius, Abhishek Jain, Arum Han, Akhilesh K. Gaharwar, Daniel L. Alge
Summary: An in-depth investigation was conducted on the dissipation process of HMPs during printing, revealing that external resistance and internal physicochemical properties play a key role in the printing outcome. Understanding these mechanisms can help improve the printability of HMPs and enhance their use in 3D bioprinting.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Hyeonyeong Ji, Jaehun Lee, Jaewon Park, Jungwoo Kim, Hyun Soo Kim, Younghak Cho
Summary: In this study, a microfluidic device with a high-aspect-ratio (HAR) channel was developed for generating monodisperse droplets. The device was fabricated using simple and cheap MEMS processes and successfully obtained smaller monodisperse droplets for a wider range of flow rates compared to previous methods.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Yuwen Li, Can Huang, Song- Han, Arum Han
Summary: This paper presents a method for measuring the dielectric properties of cells, especially lipid-producing microalgae, at high frequency and single-cell resolution. By integrating electrorotation and negative dielectrophoresis methods, the dielectric properties of cells, including membrane capacitance and cytoplasm conductivity, can be obtained. This method can be used in various applications, such as screening microalgae, separating cells with different dielectric properties, identifying different cell types, and conducting basic biophysical analyses.
BIOMEDICAL MICRODEVICES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Han Zhang, Can Huang, Yuwen Li, Rohit Gupte, Ryan Samuel, Jing Dai, Adrian Guzman, Rushant Sabnis, Paul de Figueiredo, Arum Han
Summary: FIDELITY is a highly sensitive and accurate size-based droplet band-pass filter that leverages the natural buoyancy of droplets and localized dielectrophoretic force. It achieves high precision droplet manipulation with high throughput and small diameter differences, demonstrating its importance in practical applications.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ourlad Alzeus G. Tantengco, Lauren S. Richardson, Enkhtuya Radnaa, Ananth Kumar Kammala, Sungjin Kim, Paul Mark B. Medina, Arum Han, Ramkumar Menon
Summary: This study developed an organ-on-a-chip that mimics the female reproductive tract during pregnancy and used both cell culture and animal models to investigate the mechanism by which genital mycoplasmas cause preterm birth. The findings indicate that genital mycoplasmas can colonize and induce inflammation in epithelial and stromal cells of the lower genital tract. The combination of mycoplasma infection and LPS results in increased inflammation. In an animal model, intra-amniotic injection of mycoplasma leads to preterm birth. Vaginal inoculation of mycoplasma has minimal effects on preterm birth.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Youngseo Cho, Jungwoo Kim, Jaewon Park, Hyun Soo Kim, Younghak Cho
Summary: This study proposes a microfluidic device for generating monodisperse micro-droplets, which has an asymmetric cross-sectional shape and high hypotenuse-to-width ratio (HTWR). It was found that the size and uniformity of the generated micro-droplets were affected by the HTWR of the channels, with monodisperse micro-droplets being generated when the HTWR of the asymmetric channel was over 3.5. The flow direction of the oil solution also affected the size of micro-droplets due to the asymmetric channel structures. Two kinds of monodisperse droplets with different sizes were successfully generated using the asymmetric channel structure in the developed microfluidic device.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Can Huang, Song- Han, Han Zhang, Arum Han
Summary: Microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems provide cost-effective and time-efficient biological assays at a small volume scale. Dielectrophoretic (DEP)-based manipulation technologies, due to their label-free and high selectivity natures, have been extensively developed for accurate and specific cell and reagent control. This article provides a tutorial on developing DEP-based microfluidic systems, including theory, simulation, microfabrication, and applications. Possible future directions on utilizing DEP-based technologies to overcome challenges and improve microfluidic lab-on-a-chip systems are suggested.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Lauren Richardson, Enkhtuya Radnaa, Ryan C. V. Lintao, Rheanna Urrabaz-Garza, Ruhi Maredia, Arum Han, Jiaren Sun, Ramkumar Menon
Summary: During pregnancy, the chorion and decidua form the feto-maternal interface, where immune cells remain quiescent to avoid invasion of the chorion. Infection and infiltration of activated immune cells towards the chorion can lead to preterm birth, but the mechanisms maintaining immune balance in the choriodecidual interface are not well understood. To study this, researchers created a two-chamber microphysiological system (MPS) to model the human choriodecidual immune interface under normal and infectious conditions. The results highlight the utility of the MPS in understanding immune cell infiltration and maternal-fetal crosstalk during infection.
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Grace Samtani, Sunja Kim, Danielle Michaud, Andrew E. Hillhouse, Joseph A. Szule, Kranti Konganti, Jianrong Li
Summary: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common demyelinating disease in the central nervous system, characterized by myelin destruction, axonal degeneration, and progressive loss of neurological functions. The mechanisms of myelin repair, especially after chronic demyelination, remain poorly understood.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Lauren S. Richardson, Ananth K. Kammala, Maged M. Costantine, Stephen J. Fortunato, Enkhtuya Radnaa, Sungjin Kim, Robert N. Taylor, Arum Han, Ramkumar Menon
Summary: Two microfluidic organ-on-chip (OOC) devices were developed to simulate the feto-maternal interfaces (FMis) in humans and improve preclinical drug testing during pregnancy. The OOCs successfully recreated the structure, functions, and responses of the placenta and fetal membranes-decidual interface. They were able to transport and metabolize drugs without causing cytotoxicity, and effectively reduced inflammation induced by oxidative stress.
Meeting Abstract
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Ourlad Alzeus G. Tantengco, Lauren Richardson, Paul Mark Medina, Arum Han, Ramkumar Menon
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
(2021)
