Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Paul Soudier, Ana Zuniga, Thomas Duigou, Peter L. Voyvodic, Kenza Bazi-Kabbaj, Manish Kushwaha, Julie A. Vendrell, Jerome Solassol, Jerome Bonnet, Jean-Loup Faulon
Summary: This study reports the engineering of PeroxiHUB, a sensing platform centered around H2O2, that supports cell-free detection of different metabolites. The PeroxiHUB platform utilizes enzymatic transducers to convert metabolites of interest into H2O2, allowing for rapid reprogramming of sensor specificity. This platform has the potential to detect a wide range of metabolites in a modular and scalable fashion.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2022)
News Item
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Evan Amalfitano, Keith Pardee
Summary: Cell-free biosensing is a cost-effective technology, but the interpretation and synthesis of results still heavily relies on manual involvement. Researchers have introduced a new information-processing layer using logic gates to integrate complex results between biosensors and their outputs.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Panpan Gai, Xinke Kong, Li Pu, Mengli Zhang, Dangqiang Zhu, Feng Li
Summary: This study successfully constructed a biofuel cell-driven electrochemiluminescence (ECL) system for the sensitive and selective detection of histidine, showing potential for remote healthcare diagnostics.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Xiao-Long Zhang, Yu-Han Liu, Shu-Min Du, Yang Yin, Ling-Qi Kong, Yuan-Yuan Chang, Ya-Qin Chai, Zhao-Hui Li, Ruo Yuan
Summary: The research developed an original rolling-circle strand displacement amplification method with a circular DNA template for efficient and sensitive detection of HIV DNA fragments. This new strategy could be applied in biosensing assays, clinical diagnosis, and DNA nanobiotechnology.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Chiara Heide, Gizem Buldum, Ignacio Moya-Ramirez, Oscar Ces, Cleo Kontoravdi, Karen M. Polizzi
Summary: This paper outlines the development of a cell-free protein synthesis platform from cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells. It discusses design challenges, optimized methods, and the addition of accessory proteins to increase yield. By following the optimized protocols provided, users can successfully develop their own functional CHO CFPS system for broader mammalian CFPS applications.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Xiaomei Mu, Xin Wang, Yuxin Qin, Yong Huang, Jianniao Tian, Shulin Zhao
Summary: We developed a biosensing platform using CRISPR/Cas system and a fluorescent label-free biosensor for sensitive and specific detection of disease-related biomarkers. The system utilizes an exonuclease III-mediated target cycle and a universal trigger chain to amplify the signal. The platform can be easily transformed to detect proteins, small molecules, or microRNA in biological samples.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Xinyi Hua, Zhifang Wang, Ziqi Wang, Linlin Chen, Zaichun Zhou, Junlin Ouyang, Keqin Deng, Xiumei Yang, Haowen Huang
Summary: An innovative biosensing assay was developed for simplified, cost-effective, and sensitive detection. By treating target proteins with iron porphyrin in situ, a stable protein complex with peroxidase activity was formed, providing visible signals comparable to ELISA. This immunoassay eliminates the need for expensive cross-linking processes, making it practical for clinical diagnosis, food safety, and environmental monitoring.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yanan Jia, Lin Hao, Jun Zhang, Xing Zhang, Siying An, Ming Su, Huan Wang, Yufan Zhang
Summary: We have developed a PCR-free, enzyme-free, and simple biosensing platform for electrochemical monitoring of telomerase activity based on Au nanorods. This platform exhibits sensitive electrochemical detection performance and holds promising potential in cancer monitoring and diagnosis.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Dongxin Xu, Jiaru Fang, Moran Yadid, Mingyue Zhang, Hao Wang, Qijian Xia, Hongbo Li, Nan Cao, Tal Dvir, Ning Hu
Summary: Intracellular recording of action potentials is crucial for studying disease mechanisms and electrophysiological studies. Current strategies include 3D nanoelectrodes and transient electroporation, but both have limitations. In this study, an advanced cell-based biosensing platform using electroporation is proposed, which provides consistent, high-quality recordings and allows real-time feedback.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
E. Eduardo Antunez, Clare S. Mahon, Ziqiu Tong, Nicolas H. Voelcker, Markus Muellner
Summary: The study focuses on developing thermally reversible biosensors for detecting Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LTB), with the ability to accurately recognize LTB content and bacteria, emphasizing low cost, portability, and sensitivity. The biosensors can detect sub-micromolar concentrations of LTB in solution with label-free format, and exhibit temperature-mediated catch-and-release behavior, showing potential for selective protein capture, multiple readouts, and sensor regeneration over consecutive cycles of use.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Colin P. Pilkington, Claudia Contini, Joseph D. Barritt, Paul A. Simpson, John M. Seddon, Yuval Elani
Summary: Soft-matter nanoparticles have a wide range of applications in biotechnology, therapeutic delivery, and in vivo imaging due to their biocompatibility, selective targeting, pharmacokinetic properties, and functionalization potential. However, the morphological diversity of these particles remains untapped in clinical and industrial settings, with only simple architectures being utilized. To address this, a scalable microfluidic hydrodynamic focusing (MHF) technology has been designed for the controllable and rapid production of lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) nanoparticles with intricate internal structures. These particles have the potential to be the next generation of soft-matter nano-carriers, with unique fusogenic and physical properties. The microfluidic platform allows for control over LLC size, enabling further studies and rapid prototyping of diverse functionality.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Emma MacHugh, Graceson Antony, Arun Kumar Mallik, Alicja Kaworek, Declan McCormack, Brendan Duffy, Mohamed Oubaha
Summary: This study presents a novel method for fabricating a hybrid sol-gel optofluidic platform by integrating a microfluidic biosensor platform with optical waveguides. The platform demonstrates the feasibility of optical and bio-sensing applications, achieving a detection limit of 50 ug/mL.
Article
Biophysics
Chaozhan Chen, Bin Ran, Bo Liu, Xiaoxuan Liu, Ya Liu, Minbo Lan, Richard Manasseh, Yonggang Zhu
Summary: This article reports the development of a novel microfluidic electrochemical biosensing platform to address the challenge of quantifying biomarkers at the early stage of the disease. The platform utilizes a micropillar array electrode coated with 3D bimetallic Pt-Pd nanotrees and integrates a bubble-based acoustic microstreaming technique to enhance sensitivity. The biosensor demonstrates excellent sensing performance for hydrogen peroxide and sarcosine detection.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Wu-Yingzheng Guo, Yi-Xuan Fu, Shi-Yu Liu, Long-Can Mei, Yao Sun, Jun Yin, Wen-Chao Yang, Guang-Fu Yang
Summary: The study developed a strategy of multienzyme-targeted fluorescent probe design and obtained a novel fluorescent probe for detecting a wide variety of pesticides. The designed probe showed excellent sensitivity against organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides, with a detection limit of 1.14 pg/L for dichlorvos. It also allowed for the diffusion-resistant in situ visualization of pesticides in live cells and zebrafish, as well as the sensitive measurement of organophosphorus pesticides in fresh vegetables, demonstrating promising potential for tracking pesticide residues in environment and biological systems.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biophysics
Juhi Jaiswal, Marshal Dhayal
Summary: PDMS on ITO substrate was used to create a conducting surface to adhere and differentiate hMSCs into neural-like cells. The differentiated hMSCs were then used as an electrochemical biosensing platform to selectively quantify cell surface markers expressed by neural stem cells and mature neurons.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Jose A. Forni, Milena L. Czyz, David W. Lupton, Anastasios Polyzos
Summary: A regioselective C(sp(3))-C(sp(2)) cross coupling reaction between inert gamma-C(sp(3))-H bonds in aliphatic amines and cyanoarenes under electrochemical conditions in flow is reported. The reaction utilizes a removable redox active auxiliary to trigger selective 1,7-hydrogen atom transfer for functionalization of a gamma-position aliphatic C-H bond. The cyanoarene radical anion acts both as a selective arylating reagent and a redox active mediator, enabling controlled one-electron reduction of the redox active auxiliary. This strategy provides a new approach for gamma-C(sp(3))-H bond functionalization to generate sterically crowded carbon centers under mild reaction conditions and without additional catalysts or radical initiators.
TETRAHEDRON LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiangfeng Lai, Mei-Ling Han, Yue Ding, Seong Hoong Chow, Anton P. Le Brun, Chun-Ming Wu, Phillip J. Bergen, Jhih-hang Jiang, Hsien-Yi Hsu, Benjamin W. Muir, Jacinta White, Jiangning Song, Jian Li, Hsin-Hui Shen
Summary: The use of nano therapies to treat antibiotic resistance is gaining interest due to the depleted antimicrobial drug pipeline and the increasing prevalence of Gram-negative 'superbugs'. This study examines the antimicrobial activity of polymyxin-loaded cubosomes and explores a polytherapy treatment using cubosomes in combination with polymyxin. The findings show that polytherapy treatment significantly increases antimicrobial activity compared to using polymyxin-loaded cubosomes or polymyxin and cubosomes alone.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Biophysics
Sunnia Rajput, Shenggen Yao, David W. Keizer, Marc-Antoine Sani, Frances Separovic
Summary: This mini-review discusses the use of lipidic cubic phase (LCP) structures for stabilizing membrane proteins and crystallization, as well as their potential as drug carriers. It highlights the significant role of NMR spectroscopy in understanding the physico-chemical properties of LCPs and the recent advances in pulsed field gradient NMR techniques for characterizing encapsulated molecules.
BIOPHYSICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Rachana Pathak, Sukhvir Kaur Bhangu, Gregory J. O. Martin, Frances Separovic, Muthupandian Ashokkumar
Summary: This study investigates the formation of amyloid crystals using low frequency ultrasound. The results show that acoustic cavitation induced beta-stacking and led to the formation of amyloid crystals. The study contributes to a further understanding of protein chemistry and provides opportunities for practical applications of amyloid structures.
EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS
(2022)
Review
Biophysics
Shenggen Yao, David W. Keizer, Jeffrey J. Babon, Frances Separovic
Summary: Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a well-established method for characterizing protein structure, dynamics, and interactions, while also providing insights into molecular translational and rotational motion. These aspects play a crucial role in assessing changes in protein oligomeric state in solution.
EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Biophysics
Marc -Antoine Sani, Anton P. Le Brun, Sunnia Rajput, Troy Attard, Frances Separovic
Summary: Antimicrobial peptides, particularly the histidine-rich family, show pH-sensitive interactions with cell membranes. The study examined the pH dependence of the interaction of the antimicrobial peptide Cae-1 with model cell membranes. Results from NMR spectroscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, and solid-state NMR analysis revealed that Cae-1 induces greater perturbation of lipid dynamics and water penetrations in acidic conditions compared to physiological conditions. This suggests that Cae-1 acts via a transmembrane mechanism in neutral and anionic phospholipid membranes, especially under acidic conditions.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Sarah E. Bamford, Dilek Yalcin, Wil Gardner, David A. Winkler, Thomas M. Kohl, Benjamin W. Muir, Shaun Howard, Eric A. Bruton, Paul J. Pigram
Summary: The self-organizing map with relational perspective mapping (SOM-RPM) is an unsupervised machine learning method used for visualizing and interpreting high-dimensional hyperspectral data. In this study, SOM-RPM was applied to stitched ToF-SIMS datasets to provide a direct comparison in both 2D and 3D. The quantitative assessment of annealing-induced chemical breakdown trends was conducted on spin-coated polyaniline (PANI) films, revealing differences in peak intensity ratios.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
See Yoong Wong, Andrew L. Hook, Wil Gardner, Chien-Yi Chang, Ying Mei, Martyn C. Davies, Paul Williams, Morgan R. Alexander, Davide Ballabio, Benjamin W. Muir, David A. Winkler, Paul J. Pigram
Summary: Biofilm formation is a major problem in hospitals, and researching biofilm-resistant materials is critical. Polymer microarrays can efficiently discover new biofilm-resistant polymers. This study investigates bacterial attachment and surface chemistry on a polymer microarray to better understand Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm formation. Analyzing the data using linear multivariate analysis and a nonlinear self-organizing map reveals fragment ions associated with bacterial biofilm formation. Considering these insights, a second analysis is conducted that explicitly considers interactions between key fragments. This improved model provides chemical insights for designing materials that prevent pathogen attachment.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
A. R. Mukurumbira, R. A. Shellie, R. Keast, E. A. Palombo, B. W. Muir, S. R. Jadhav
Summary: Foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms pose a threat to public health and the food industry. Synthetic antimicrobials face challenges due to antimicrobial resistance, thus essential oils offer a potential natural alternative. This study found that essential oils from lemon myrtle, thyme, and Tasmanian mountain pepper showed antimicrobial activity against common food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria and fungi, with lemon myrtle and thyme exhibiting stronger activity. The vapor phase of the oils also showed antimicrobial activity and potential as antifungals for specific microorganisms.
Article
Materials Science, Coatings & Films
Wil Gardner, David A. Winkler, David L. J. Alexander, Davide Ballabio, Benjamin W. Muir, Paul J. Pigram
Summary: In this study, two different ToF-SIMS imaging datasets were used to evaluate the impact of data preprocessing methods and SOM hyperparameters on the performance of SOM. It was found that preprocessing is generally more important than hyperparameter selection, and there are complex interactions between different parameters. The results of this study are important for understanding the effects of data processing on hyperspectral imaging data.
JOURNAL OF VACUUM SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY A
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Dilek Yalcin, Sarah Bamford, Maria Espiritu, Nick Rigopoulos, Ivan Martinez-Botella, David Alexander, Yesim Gozukara, Mark Greaves, Eric A. Bruton, Patrick J. Kinlen, Shaun Howard, Paul J. Pigram, Benjamin W. Muir, Thomas M. Kohl
Summary: A novel polymer blend formulation was developed by adding polyurethane (PU) and sulfonyldiphenol (SDP) to a dinonylnaphthalene sulfonic acid (DNNSA)-doped polyaniline (PANI) matrix. The results showed that the inclusion of PU and SDP remarkably improved the thermal stability of the films, maintaining desirable conductivity levels over a week. This study provides insights into the functionality, optimization, and deployment of these new film types.
POLYMER DEGRADATION AND STABILITY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiangfeng Lai, Seong Hoong Chow, Anton P. Le Brun, Benjamin W. Muir, Phillip J. Bergen, Jacinta White, Heidi H. Yu, Jiping Wang, Jill Danne, Jhih-hang Jiang, Francesca L. Short, Mei-Ling Han, Richard A. Strugnell, Jiangning Song, Neil R. Cameron, Anton Y. Peleg, Jian Li, Hsin-Hui Shen
Summary: This study successfully developed a lipid nanoparticle based on monolaurin that can effectively eliminate the polysaccharides of Gram-negative bacteria. When used in conjunction with polymyxin B, these nanoparticles have a synergistic antimicrobial effect through multiple mechanisms.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Nikolina Kalcec, Nikolina Peranic, Ivan Mamic, Maja Beus, Christopher R. Hall, Trevor A. Smith, Marc Antoine Sani, Petra Turcic, Frances Separovic, Ivana Vinkovoic Vrcek
Summary: This study aims to improve the delivery of drugs for Parkinson's disease treatment by designing two different types of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs). The results show that PVP-SeNPs have strong binding capacity with L-DOPA and dopamine. Additionally, the formation of protein corona plays a crucial role in the design of drug nanodelivery systems.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Sevvandi Kandanaarachchi, Wil Gardner, David L. J. Alexander, Benjamin W. Muir, Philippe A. Chouinard, Sheila G. Crewther, David J. Scurr, Mark Halliday, Paul J. Pigram
Summary: This study investigated six different computational methods for tiling artifact removal in ToF-SIMS imaging. The results show that there is no universally acceptable method and the effectiveness of the artifact removal method depends on the specific characteristics of the data set analyzed.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Wil Gardner, David A. Winkler, Suzanne M. Cutts, Steven A. Torney, Geoffrey A. Pietersz, Benjamin W. Muir, Paul J. Pigram
Summary: Feature extraction algorithms are important for reducing data dimensionality, but most methods do not consider spatial information. This study introduces a convolutional autoencoder algorithm that can be applied to hyperspectral ToF-SIMS imaging and achieves better results.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
