Article
Mechanics
Brendan Harding, Yvonne M. M. Stokes
Summary: We investigate the impact of Dean number on the inertial focusing of suspended spherical particles in curved microfluidic ducts. Our model extends the existing one by considering a moderate Dean number while keeping the particle Reynolds number small. The results show that variations in the Dean number can alter the stable equilibria of certain particle sizes and enhance lateral separation in practical scenarios.
JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Jun-Jie Bai, Xuan Zhang, Xing Wei, Yu Wang, Cheng Du, Ze-Jun Wang, Ming-Li Chen, Jian-Hua Wang
Summary: Exosomes are crucial biomarkers for intercellular communication and disease diagnosis and treatment. This study presents a microfluidic chip called DEIC for isolating high-purity exosomes from small-volume biological samples. The chip utilizes elastoinertial separation to remove protein contaminants and achieves a 70.6% recovery and a 91.4% removal rate for proteins. The technique enables individual-vesicle-level biomarker analysis and shows potential for integration with downstream exosome analyses.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Sajad Razavi Bazaz, Asma Mihandust, Robert Salomon, Hossein Ahmadi Nejad Joushani, Wenyan Li, Hoseyn A. Amiri, Fateme Mirakhorli, Sareh Zhand, Jesus Shrestha, Morteza Miansari, Benjamin Thierry, Dayong Jin, Majid Ebrahimi Warkiani
Summary: Separation and enrichment of target cells using inertial microfluidics, specifically the zigzag microchannel (Z-RISE), shows improved focusing and separation performance compared to other curvilinear or serpentine microchannels. The rigidity of the microchannel significantly affects the focusing performance, and the sudden channel cross-section expansion at the corners enhances the separation and purity efficiency. Z-RISE demonstrates great potential for applications involving particle and cell manipulations, providing outstanding particle or cell concentration efficiency.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiangjiang Yu, Jacopo Andreo, Madeline Walden, Javier F. del Campo, Lourdes Basabe-Desmonts, Fernando Benito-Lopez, Thomas P. Burg, Stefan Wuttke
Summary: This study explores the impact of the Dean Flow on the synthesis of ZIF-8 particles and demonstrates the importance of reporting the Dean Number and radius of curvature for synthetic reproducibility. An alternative standard of reporting is proposed. The study highlights the potential of the Dean Equation in precisely tuning the final dimensions of nanoparticles.
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Pritam Bordhan, Sajad Razavi Bazaz, Dayong Jin, Majid Ebrahimi Warkiani
Summary: Cell cycle synchronisation is the process of isolating cell populations at specific phases of the cell cycle from heterogeneous, asynchronous cell cultures. It has important implications in targeted gene-editing, drug efficacy, and studying cell cycle events and regulatory mechanisms. The ideal synchronisation techniques should be applicable for all cell types, maintain synchrony across multiple cell cycle events, and robust against metabolic and physiological perturbations. This review categorizes different synchronisation approaches and discusses their operational principles and performance efficiencies, highlighting advances from conventional methods to microfluidics-based systems. Opportunities and challenges for high throughput cell synchronisation are also discussed, with future perspectives on implementing hybrid cell synchronisation modalities.
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Waqas Waheed, Omar Z. Sharaf, Anas Alazzam, Eiyad Abu-Nada
Summary: Dielectrophoresis-field flow fractionation (DEP-FFF) is an efficient technique for fractionating particles/cells based on their size and dielectric properties. Various microelectrode designs have been utilized for successful fractionation of heterogeneous samples.
JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY A
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Zhenna Chen, Beibei Chen, Man He, Bin Hu
Summary: A negative magnetophoresis focusing microchip was developed and coupled to ICP-MS for single-cell analysis, achieving high sample throughput. Study on uptake behaviors revealed that MCF-7 cells exhibited more remarkable heterogeneity when treated with ZnO NPs, with lower uptake content compared to Zn2+.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Danielle L. Chase, Christina Kurzthaler, Howard A. Stone
Summary: Advances in microfabrication have enabled the customization of surfaces for optimal sorting, mixing, and focusing of complex particulate suspensions in microfluidic devices. Research has shown that corrugated surfaces can manipulate particle motion effectively, with experiments and theoretical predictions revealing three-dimensional helical particle trajectories along corrugations. The interaction of disturbance flows induced by particle motion with the corrugations generates a locally transverse anisotropy of the pressure field, explaining the helical dynamics and particle drift near patterned surfaces.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Amir Shamloo, Amin Naghdloo, Mohsen Besanjideh
Summary: The study focused on isolating rare cancer cells using two centrifugal microfluidic devices. The passive design isolates cells through inertial effects and bifurcation law, while the hybrid design captures magnetically labeled cells using permanent magnets at the end of the microchannel. The hybrid design offers better separation efficiency and purity, while the passive one is simpler and cost-effective without the need for cell labeling.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Valentina Biagioni, Alpha L. Sow, Alessandra Adrover, Stefano Cerbelli
Summary: Microcapillary hydrodynamic chromatography is a technique for size-based separation, utilizing hindrance effects and improved device design for performance enhancement, with potential for extension to multistage structures.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Rohollah Nasiri, Amir Shamloo, Javad Akbari
Summary: Isolating circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples is crucial for cancer diagnosis and treatment, and microfluidics shows great potential in this area. Combining inertial and magnetic methods on a single chip was found to be effective in separating CTCs, with high recovery rates and purity levels.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Anita Banyai, Eszter Leelossyne Toth, Mate Varga, Peter Furjes
Summary: This study investigates the inertial focusing phenomenon and its application in sample preparation and target manipulation in particulate suspensions. The asymmetric channel geometry is designed to promote sheathless focusing or size-dependent sorting. Experimental results are compared to simulation models to characterize the focusing behavior of particles with sizes close to blood cells and bacteria.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ayomikun Esan, Frederique Vanholsbeeck, Simon Swift, Cushla M. M. McGoverin
Summary: With the global increase in food exchange, it has become crucial to efficiently separate bacterial cells from debris in order to protect consumers from bacterial contamination. In this study, passive-based inertial microfluidics was used to separate bacterial cells from debris extracted from ground meat and meat swabs, achieving average recovery efficiencies of approximately 80% and 70%, respectively.
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Ioannis H. Karampelas, Jenifer Gomez-Pastora
Summary: The demand for precise separation of particles, cells, and other biological matter has increased in recent years, leading to increased scientific interest in the topic. This article establishes the theoretical basis for fluid flow and particle separation and summarizes computational work done in the field of particle and cell separation, with a focus on magnetic, dielectric, and acoustic methods.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yao Chen, Lin Jiang, Xiaozhe Zhang, Zhonghua Ni, Nan Xiang
Summary: This article introduces an efficient label-free sorting and mechanical phenotyping method for tumor cells, which utilizes a viscoelastic-sorting integrated deformability cytometer (VSDC) to sort, extract, and analyze the mechanical properties of tumor cells. Machine learning algorithms are used to distinguish tumor cells from white blood cells.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sheng Yuan Leong, Hong Boon Ong, Hui Min Tay, Fang Kong, Megha Upadya, Lingyan Gong, Ming Dao, Rinkoo Dalan, Han Wei Hou
Summary: Extracellular vesicles are considered as next generation diagnostic biomarkers due to their disease-specific biomolecular cargoes and importance in cell-cell communications. This study presents a microfluidic platform for EV-protein fractionation using size exclusion chromatography. The device shows excellent performance in isolating EVs from biological samples and has been validated for clinical applications.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yunjie Deng, Hui Min Tay, Yuqi Zhou, Xueer Fei, Xuke Tang, Masako Nishikawa, Yutaka Yatomi, Han Wei Hou, Ting-Hui Xiao, Keisuke Goda
Summary: Vascular stenosis caused by atherosclerosis leads to platelet activation and aggregation, resulting in thrombus formation. Antiplatelet drugs are commonly used but may not prevent recurrent thrombotic events due to limited understanding of their efficacy in the complex hemodynamic environment. We propose and demonstrate a method involving a 3D stenosis microfluidic chip and optical time-stretch quantitative phase imaging system for studying the efficacy of antiplatelet drugs under stenosis. Our method simulates the flow environment of vascular stenosis and enables high-resolution and statistical analysis of platelet aggregates. This method can assist in developing optimal pharmacologic strategies for patients with atherosclerosis.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhicheng Le, Jinming Yu, Ying Jie Quek, Bingyu Bai, Xianlei Li, Yufeng Shou, Ba Myint, Chenjie Xu, Andy Tay
Summary: Microneedles technology is an efficient and minimally invasive method for transdermal delivery of bioactive molecules, avoiding the use of hypodermic needles. It has expanded its applications to non-dermatological purposes and shown promise in biomolecular and cellular sampling for patient health monitoring and disease diagnosis. This review discusses the design principles of microneedles to overcome biological barriers and recent innovations in biomolecular and cellular sampling.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hao Chang, Xueyu Wen, Zhiming Li, Zhixin Ling, Yanting Zheng, Chenjie Xu
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential of cryoMNs as a co-delivery system for cancer immunotherapy. Unlike conventional microneedles, cryoMNs can effectively co-deliver dendritic cell vaccines and anti-PD-1 antibodies, increasing their potential for tumor treatment.
BIOENGINEERING & TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Fang Liu, Yingzhi Luo, Huan Chen, Shengjing Xu, Dongyan Zhang, Hong Sang, Chenjie Xu, Min Zhang
Summary: Microneedle technology effectively suppresses the formation of hypertrophic scarring in both animals and humans. This article examines the influence of microneedle fabrication materials on rabbit ear hypertrophic scar model. Among the different materials tested, polymethylmethacrylate microneedles showed the best results in reducing tissue fibrosis and expression of biomarkers, while polycarbonates, polyurethane, and polylactic-co-glycolic acid microneedles could also suppress the expression of these biomarkers.
NANOSCALE ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jingru Xu, Mengjia Zheng, Dexter Kai Hao Thng, Tan Boon Toh, Lei Zhou, Glenn Kunnath Bonney, Yock Young Dan, Pierce Kah Hoe Chow, Chenjie Xu, Edward Kai-Hua Chow
Summary: SALL4 is an oncofetal protein that drives cancer progression and poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma and hematological malignancies. Due to the lack of well-structured binding pockets, targeted inhibitors for SALL4 are difficult to design. In this study, an AI-assisted platform utilizing molecular beacons and nanodiamonds was developed to evaluate patient-specific drug sensitivity for HCC treatment, providing efficient and rapid clinical decision support.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jiahui He, Yuyue Zhang, Xinge Yu, Chenjie Xu
Summary: Transdermal drug delivery systems, particularly wearable patches, have advantages such as good drug bioavailability and patient compliance. The integration of stimulus-responsive materials and electronics in such systems allows for dosage, temporal, and spatial control of therapeutics delivery.
ACTA PHARMACEUTICA SINICA B
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chayakorn Petchakup, Yuan Yi Constance Chen, Hui Min Tay, Hong Boon Ong, Pei Yun Hon, Partha Pratim De, Tsin Wen Yeo, King Ho Holden Li, Shawn Vasoo, Han Wei Hou
Summary: Researchers developed a microfluidic inertial-impedance cytometry technique for label-free rapid neutrophil sorting and impedance profiling from urine. This technique allows for quick diagnosis of urinary tract infection by analyzing neutrophil electrical signatures in urine samples. The developed platform has the potential to assess disease severity in UTI and other urologic diseases.
Editorial Material
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Wei He, Alejandro Sosnik, Chenjie Xu
ACTA PHARMACEUTICA SINICA B
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Chayakorn Petchakup, Siong Onn Wong, Rinkoo Dalan, Han Wei Hou
Summary: Neutrophils, which are the most abundant circulating white blood cells, release DNA to eliminate pathogenic threats. The conventional methods for quantifying neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are expensive and time-consuming. In this study, a novel virtual staining method using deep convolutional neural networks was employed to quantify NETs without labeling. The accuracy of the model was optimized and validated using various reconstruction metrics. The model successfully detected different NET profiles for different treatments, demonstrating its potential for clinical research and disease testing.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Melissa Kao Hui Lee, Hong Kit Lim, Chengxun Su, Jie Yan Cheryl Koh, Magdiel Inggrid Setyawati, Kee Woei Ng, Han Wei Hou, Chor Yong Tay
Summary: This study used a three-dimensional biomimetic microfluidic lung-on-chip platform and RNA sequencing to investigate the effects of two model nanoparticles on airway epithelium cells. It was found that even low-level exposure to these nanoparticles triggered chemotaxis of lung fibroblasts and induced a transcriptomic response associated with the development of lung fibrosis. These findings provide new insights into the early acute events of respiratory harm caused by environmental nanoparticles exposure.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuyue Zhang, Guangyao Zhao, Mengjia Zheng, Tianli Hu, Cheng Yang, Chenjie Xu
Summary: This work describes the development of a nanometallic conductive composite-hydrogel core-shell microneedle skin patch that enables minimally invasive real-time monitoring of physiological signals. The patch can quickly extract skin interstitial fluid and has a fast and linear response to glucose concentrations, paving the way for the future development of smart wearable devices with minimally invasive transdermal biosensors.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Tianli Hu, Zhibiao Zhang, Chenjie Xu
Summary: The combination of microneedles and iontophoresis can enhance drug penetration in the skin. This study explores the potential of conductive microneedles assisted by iontophoresis for delivering macromolecules.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2022)
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Yuyue Zhang, Cheng Yang, Haibin Shi, Chenjie Xu
Summary: Transdermal biosensing focuses on collecting and detecting biomarkers on and in the skin layers in a painless, convenient, and infection-avoiding manner. It has applications in daily health monitoring, disease diagnosis, and therapy monitoring.
ADVANCED NANOBIOMED RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Na Zhang, Junquan Lin, Jiah Shin Chin, Christian Wiraja, Chenjie Xu, Duncan Angus McGrouther, Sing Yian Chew
Summary: This study investigated the potential of pathway inhibition in promoting peripheral nervous system regeneration and discovered the therapeutic window for using pathway inhibitors. By delivering Wnt inhibitors, WIFI was found to promote sciatic nerve regeneration. Furthermore, the optimal timing for treating with Wnt inhibitors was revealed.
JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING
(2022)
