Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Ke Wang, Yan Liu, Xiaohao Sun, Deyong Chen, Xinxia Cai, Junbo Wang, Jian Chen
Summary: This article describes a microfluidic system for characterizing cortical tension of individual cells in a continuous manner. The system utilizes constriction channels to force cells through and a mechanical model to translate membrane curves into cortical tension. The system successfully quantified cortical tension in thousands of HL-60 cells, revealing insights into the relationship between cortical tension and various experimental conditions.
IEEE SENSORS JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jian Wei Khor, Ulri N. N. Lee, Jean Berthier, Erwin Berthier, Ashleigh B. Theberge
Summary: This study develops an open channel droplet microfluidic system that autonomously generates droplets at low capillary numbers and demonstrates various applications. The system offers enhanced usability, direct access to the droplet contents, easy manufacturability, compact footprint, and high customizability.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jeffrey P. Bibeau, Shawn Gray, Enrique M. De la Cruz
Summary: Cofilin is an essential actin filament severing protein that accelerates the dynamics of actin networks. Clusters of cofilin can sever filaments when reaching a certain size, promoting filament severing with weak dependence on the size of the cluster. Experimental data suggests that clusters of bound cofilin preferentially extend towards filament pointed ends.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Mechanics
Santosh Kumar Jena, Tushar Srivastava, Supreet Singh Bahga, Sasidhar Kondaraju
Summary: In a T-junction microchannel, the channel width has a significant impact on droplet generation, affecting both droplet size and frequency. This study extends a previous model to account for the varying width ratio between the dispersed and continuous phase channels. Experimental results validate the proposed scaling law and show that an increase in the width of the continuous phase channel leads to an increase in droplet length but a decrease in droplet production frequency. Similar behavior is observed with variations in the width of the dispersed phase channel. Overall, this research provides new insights into the effect of channel width on droplet length and frequency.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Junqi Yuan, Jian Feng, Sung Kwon Cho
Summary: This paper investigates the control of capillary forces acting on floating objects by manipulating the wetting properties of adjacent sidewalls. By introducing dielectrowetting and actively changing the contact angle on the sidewall, the capillary force can be easily controlled and reversed between attraction and repulsion. The tilting angle of the sidewall is identified as another critical parameter in this process, and a theoretical relation including this parameter shows good agreement with experimental results.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Islam Seder, Dong-Min Kim, Sang-Hyun Hwang, Heungsup Sung, Dong-Eun Kim, Sung-Jin Kim
Summary: The article discusses a microfluidic platform for the sample-to-answer detection of viral RNA from clinical swab samples in a fully automated and highly sensitive manner. This platform allows for accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases in point-of-care settings.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Carlotta Mondadori, Silvia Palombella, Shima Salehi, Giuseppe Talo, Roberta Visone, Marco Rasponi, Alberto Redaelli, Valerio Sansone, Matteo Moretti, Silvia Lopa
Summary: This study developed an organotypic microfluidic model to recapitulate the pathological process of the synovium in osteoarthritis patients. The model demonstrated that OA synovial fluid induces monocytes to cross the endothelium and invade the synovial compartment, and the simultaneous blocking of CCR2 and CCR5 pathways is more effective in inhibiting extravasation.
Article
Crystallography
Lawrence W. Honaker, Anjali Sharma, Andy Schanen, Jan P. F. Lagerwall
Summary: This study measured the interfacial tension anisotropy of a common synthetic nematic LC compound 5CB against water using a microfluidic droplet aspiration technique. Results showed significant differences in interfacial tension under different LC alignment conditions, with stabilizer concentration also affecting the values. Future improvements in accuracy may be expected if a stabilizer better suited for tangential alignment can be found.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xin Li, Jianzhong Zhang, Chao Du, Yingying Jiang, Wanjun Zhang, Shuo Wang, Xiaoxiao Zhu, Jinling Gao, Xinru Zhang, Dunqiang Ren, Yuxin Zheng, Jinglong Tang
Summary: The study revealed that PHMG induces pulmonary fibrosis and elevates surface tension by inhibiting pulmonary surfactant. PHMG suppresses key surfactant proteins SP-B and SP-C by inhibiting their expression and blocking their active sites, leading to increased surface tension.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xingchen Li, Zan Wu, Xiaoqian Chen
Summary: The study experimentally investigated the pinch-off dynamics during hydrogen bubble formation in a cross-junction microchannel, revealing the effects of interfacial tension and viscosity on the process. A transitional stage named the wave model stage was newly observed, with time criteria between stages around 1/10 of tcap and to the pinch-off moment. The power law exponents for hydrogen-liquid flow were found to be larger than those for nitrogen liquid flow, consistent with existing literature.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
David C. Van Essen
Summary: The morphogenesis of the nervous system involves complex physical forces acting on pliable cells and tissues, regulated by the cytoskeletal infrastructure. This review discusses the principles of biomechanics and the role of "tensegrity" in cell response to internal and external forces. It further analyzes the development of the mammalian cerebral cortex, focusing on its expansion and folding processes. Three multi-mechanism models are evaluated, with the Composite Tension Plus model showing the greatest explanatory power among published models.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaojie Xu, Guangle Li, Bingbing Sun, Yi Y. Zuo
Summary: The S2 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein inhibits the biophysical properties of pulmonary surfactant and induces microdomain fusion in the surfactant monolayer. These findings provide important insights into the mechanisms of surfactant-virus interactions and the development of surfactant replacement therapy for COVID-19.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhu Sun, Baiheng Wu, Yixin Ren, Zhongzhen Wang, Chun-Xia Zhao, Mingtan Hai, David A. Weitz, Dong Chen
Summary: Nanoparticles with diverse structures and unique properties have attracted increasing attention for their widespread applications. Co-precipitation under rapid mixing is an effective method to obtain biocompatible nanoparticles, and diverse particle carriers are achieved by controlled phase separation via interfacial tensions. The regulation of interfacial tensions can control the final morphology of particles and applications in various fields show great potential.
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Priyatanu Roy, Shihao Liu, Cari S. Dutcher
Summary: Measurements of droplet phase and interfacial tension are crucial in atmospheric aerosols and emulsion science. Recent advances in microfluidics allow for customized multiphase fluid flows in channels, enabling manipulation and observation of microscale droplets in an enclosed setting without the need for large and expensive control systems. Different physical principles at the microscale and corresponding microfluidic approaches are discussed for measuring droplet phase state, viscosity, and IFT.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL 72
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Siyuan Xu, Takasi Nisisako
Summary: By preparing new surfactant-laden Janus droplets using a microfluidic flow-focusing device, it is possible to achieve curvature controllability and enhanced stability against coalescence, suitable for fabricating shape-anisotropic polymer microparticles.
Article
Polymer Science
Daniel Perez-Calixto, Samuel Amat-Shapiro, Diego Zamarron-Hernandez, Genaro Vazquez-Victorio, Pierre-Henri Puech, Mathieu Hautefeuille
Summary: Recent progress in materials science and engineering has led to the development of compliant substrates with physical and chemical properties similar to biological materials, benefiting the field of mechanobiology. Cellular responses to mechanics are influenced not only by the elastic properties of tissues, but also by their relaxation behavior at different timescales. Characterizing soft materials mechanically using a relaxation test can offer valuable information on the precise mechanical properties that cells can sense.
Article
Biophysics
Alexandra Zak, Sara Violeta Merino-Cortes, Anais Sadoun, Farah Mustapha, Avin Babataheri, Stephanie Dogniaux, Sophie Dupre-Crochet, Elodie Hudik, Hai-Tao He, Abdul Barakat, Yolanda R. Carrasco, Yannick Hamon, Pierre-Henri Puech, Claire Hivroz, Oliver Nusse, Julien Husson
Summary: The study found that leukocytes become significantly stiffer and more viscous when stimulated by microbeads mimicking target cells, with these mechanical changes starting within seconds and rapidly evolving over minutes. The elastic and viscous properties of leukocytes evolve in parallel, maintaining a specific ratio that constitutes a mechanical signature unique to each cell type.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anais Sadoun, Martine Biarnes-Pelicot, Laura Ghesquiere-Dierickx, Ambroise Wu, Olivier Theodoly, Laurent Limozin, Yannick Hamon, Pierre-Henri Puech
Summary: The research designed a strategy to control the positioning, shape, spreading, mechanics, and activation state of T cells through protein microstamping. It was found that T cell activation capabilities were not affected by adhering onto different substrates, and expressing specific receptors in T cells led to similar activation capabilities. The system proposed in the study provides a way to test the activation or anergy of T cells with defined adhesion and mechanical characteristics.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mariem Souissi, Julien Pernier, Olivier Rossier, Gregory Giannone, Christophe Le Clainche, Emmanuele Helfer, Kheya Sengupta
Summary: This study describes a new method for preparing GUVs incorporating the transmembrane protein integrin, with successful incorporation of functional integrin molecules.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Aurelie Mangon, Daniele Salaun, Mohamed Lala Bouali, Mira Kuzmi, Sabine Quitard, Sylvie Thuault, Daniel Isnardon, Stephane Audebert, Pierre-Henri Puech, Pascal Verdier-Pinard, Ali Badache
Summary: The study found that iASPP can associate with microtubule plus-end binding protein EB1 and Myosin-Ic protein, helping cancer cells maintain proper mitotic spindle positioning and chromosome partitioning by increasing cortical rigidity.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Physiology
Scott Atwell, Catherine Badens, Anne Charrier, Emmanuele Helfer, Annie Viallat
Summary: In this study, the dynamics of red blood cells (RBCs) in linear shear flow were compared between healthy and pathological donors. It was found that RBCs displayed different motion behaviors at different shear rates and stresses, and these behaviors were influenced by RBC density and disease pathology. These findings suggest the potential for developing non-invasive diagnostic assays based on RBC motion in shear flow.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Alice-Anais Varlet, Camille Desgrouas, Cecile Jebane, Nathalie Bonello-Palot, Patrice Bourgeois, Nicolas Levy, Emmanuele Helfer, Noemie Dubois, Rene Valero, Catherine Badens, Sophie Beliard
Summary: A mutation in the LMNB2 gene, which codes for a protein called lamin B2, has been identified as a cause of several symptoms including early onset type II diabetes and abnormal fat distribution.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Olivier Mesdjian, Chenglei Wang, Simon Gsell, Umberto D'Ortona, Julien Favier, Annie Viallat, Etienne Loiseau
Summary: Cilia play a crucial role in ciliated epithelia, and the direction of metachronal waves is determined by the ability of mucus to be transported at the epithelial surface.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maxime Darrin, Ashwin Samudre, Maxime Sahun, Scott Atwell, Catherine Badens, Anne Charrier, Emmanuele Helfer, Annie Viallat, Vincent Cohen-Addad, Sophie Giffard-Roisin
Summary: The fraction of red blood cells adopting a specific motion under low shear flow can be used as a promising marker for monitoring the clinical status of patients with sickle cell disease. A two-stage machine learning pipeline is presented to automatically classify cell motions in videos, eliminating unreliable samples and discriminating between highly and poorly deformable cells. The pipeline achieves a high accuracy of 97% and an F1-score of 0.94. Dataset and codes are publicly available.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Julien Pernier, Marcelina Cardoso Dos Santos, Mariem Souissi, Adrien Joly, Hemalatha Narassimprakash, Olivier Rossier, Gregory Giannone, Emmanuele Helfer, Kheya Sengupta, Christophe Le Clainche
Summary: Focal adhesions are essential for cell adhesion, in which talin and kindlin play important roles. This study demonstrates that talin and kindlin can individually cluster integrins and work together to form larger integrin clusters. The findings provide insights into the mechanism of integrin clustering.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Mechanics
Zhengxin Tang, Francois Yaya, Ethan Sun, Lubna Shah, Jie Xu, Annie Viallat, Emmanuele Helfer, Zhangli Peng
Summary: We derived equations and closed-form solutions for the transit time of a viscous droplet passing through a small circular pore with a finite length at microscale under constant pressures. Our analysis is motivated by the importance of understanding the processes of biological cells passing through small pores and droplets passing through pores in microfluidics. We found that the transit time is dependent on pressure, viscosity, pore/droplet dimensions, and surface tension, and the relationship between transit time and surface tension is nonmonotonic. Our results provide valuable insights for designing droplet microfluidics and understanding cell flow through constrictions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cecile Jebane, Alice-Anais Varlet, Marc Karnat, Lucero M. Hernandez-Cedillo, Amelie Lecchi, Frederic Bedu, Camille Desgrouas, Corinne Vigouroux, Marie-Christine Vantyghem, Annie Viallat, Jean-Francois Rupprecht, Emmanuele Helfer, Catherine Badens
Summary: In this study, the impact of lamin A/C alterations on whole-cell mechanics was investigated using microfluidic experiments and theoretical analyses. The results showed a distinctive increase in cell viscosity as a signature of cells affected by lamin A/C alterations. Additionally, it was found that the whole-cell response to mechanical stress is not only driven by the nucleus but also by the nucleo-cytoskeleton links and the microtubule network. These findings highlight the potential of enhanced cell viscosity as a valuable diagnosis marker for lamin-related diseases.
Review
Immunology
Farah Mustapha, Kheya Sengupta, Pierre-Henri Puech
Summary: Force is an important parameter for cells to adapt to their microenvironment. T lymphocytes use mechano-sensitivity to recognize antigens and carry out immune functions. Traction force microscopy is a technique that has gained interest in the ImmunoBiophysics community for measuring forces exerted by immune cells.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Farah Mustapha, Kheya Sengupta, Pierre -Henri Puech
Summary: In this study, we present a simple in vitro TFM protocol using ultrasoft protein-coated polyacrylamide gels and wide-field fluorescence microscopy. We also provide open-source and in-house scripts for data analysis, allowing for easy quantification of traction stresses. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of this protocol.