-
Current Opinion in Insect Science Dec 2018Flying insects are being studied these days as if they were agile micro air vehicles fitted with smart sensors, requiring very few brain resources. The findings obtained... (Review)
Review
Flying insects are being studied these days as if they were agile micro air vehicles fitted with smart sensors, requiring very few brain resources. The findings obtained on these natural fliers have proved to be extremely valuable when it comes to designing compact low-weight artificial optical sensors capable of performing visual processing tasks robustly under various environmental conditions (light, clouds, contrast). Here, we review some outstanding bio-inspired visual sensors, which can be used for either detecting motion in the visible spectrum or controlling celestial navigation in the ultraviolet spectrum and for attitude stabilisation purposes. Biologically inspired visual sensors do not have to comprise a very large number of pixels: they are able to perform both short and long range navigation tasks surprisingly well with just a few pixels and a weak resolution.
Topics: Animals; Compound Eye, Arthropod; Insecta; Microtechnology; Motor Vehicles; Vision, Ocular; Visual Perception
PubMed: 30553484
DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2018.09.005 -
Science Robotics Jun 2020Recent work is unveiling the interactions between magnetic microswimmers and cells of the immune system. (Review)
Review
Recent work is unveiling the interactions between magnetic microswimmers and cells of the immune system.
Topics: Biomechanical Phenomena; Drug Delivery Systems; Equipment Design; Humans; Immune Evasion; Microtechnology; Motion; Phagocytosis; Robotics
PubMed: 33022619
DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.abc7620 -
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews 2020Orally ingestible medical devices provide significant advancement for diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) tract-related conditions. From micro- to... (Review)
Review
Orally ingestible medical devices provide significant advancement for diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) tract-related conditions. From micro- to macroscale devices, with designs ranging from very simple to complex, these medical devices can be used for site-directed drug delivery in the GI tract, real-time imaging and sensing of gut biomarkers. Equipped with uni-direction release, or self-propulsion, or origami design, these microdevices are breaking the barriers associated with drug delivery, including biologics, across the GI tract. Further, on-board microelectronics allow imaging and sensing of gut tissue and biomarkers, providing a more comprehensive understanding of underlying pathophysiological conditions. We provide an overview of recent advances in orally ingestible medical devices towards drug delivery, imaging and sensing. Challenges associated with gut microenvironment, together with various activation/actuation modalities of medical devices for micromanipulation of the gut are discussed. We have critically examined the relationship between materials-device design-pharmacological responses with respect to existing regulatory guidelines and provided a clear roadmap for the future.
Topics: Administration, Oral; Biomarkers; Delayed-Action Preparations; Drug Delivery Systems; Equipment and Supplies; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gastrointestinal Tract; Humans; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Microtechnology; Nanoparticles
PubMed: 32416112
DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2020.05.004 -
Biomedical Microdevices Aug 2019Conventional skin and blood sampling techniques for disease diagnosis, though effective, are often highly invasive and some even suffer from variations in analysis. With... (Review)
Review
Conventional skin and blood sampling techniques for disease diagnosis, though effective, are often highly invasive and some even suffer from variations in analysis. With the improvements in molecular detection, the amount of starting sample quantity needed has significantly reduced in some diagnostic procedures, and this has led to an increased interest in microsampling techniques for disease biomarker detection. The miniaturization of sampling platforms driven by microsampling has the potential to shift disease diagnosis and monitoring closer to the point of care. The faster turnaround time for actionable results has improved patient care. The variations in sample quantification and analysis remain a challenge in the microsampling field. The future of microsampling looks promising. Emerging techniques are being clinically tested and monitored by regulatory bodies. This process is leading to safer and more reliable diagnostic platforms. This review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of current skin and blood microsampling techniques.
Topics: Animals; Blood; Humans; Microtechnology; Point-of-Care Systems; Skin
PubMed: 31418068
DOI: 10.1007/s10544-019-0412-y -
Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology Dec 2015The advanced technologies available for micro/nanofabrication have opened new avenues for interdisciplinary approaches to solve the unmet medical needs of regenerative... (Review)
Review
The advanced technologies available for micro/nanofabrication have opened new avenues for interdisciplinary approaches to solve the unmet medical needs of regenerative medicine and biomedical devices. This review highlights the recent developments in micro/nanostructured adhesives and films for biomedical applications, including waterproof seals for wounds or surgery sites, drug delivery, sensing human body signals, and optical imaging of human tissues. We describe in detail the fabrication processes required to prepare the adhesives and films, such as tape-based adhesives, nanofilms, and flexible and stretchable film-based electronic devices. We also discuss their biomedical functions, performance in vitro and in vivo, and the future research needed to improve the current systems.
Topics: Adhesives; Animals; Biocompatible Materials; Humans; Mechanical Phenomena; Microtechnology; Nanostructures; Nanotechnology
PubMed: 26510305
DOI: 10.1166/jbn.2015.2097 -
Current Drug Delivery 2021New technologies are currently investigated to improve the quality of foods by enhancing their nutritional value, freshness, safety, and shelf-life, as well as by... (Review)
Review
New technologies are currently investigated to improve the quality of foods by enhancing their nutritional value, freshness, safety, and shelf-life, as well as by improving their tastes, flavors and textures. Moreover, new technological approaches are being explored, in this field, to address nutritional and metabolism-related diseases (i.e., obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases), to improve targeted nutrition, in particular for specific lifestyles and elderly population, and to maintain the sustainability of food production. A number of new processes and materials, derived from micro- and nano-technology, have been used to provide answers to many of these needs and offer the possibility to control and manipulate properties of foods and their ingredients at the molecular level. The present review focuses on the importance of micro- and nano-technology in the food and nutritional sector and, in particular, provides an overview of the micro- and nano-materials used for the administration of nutritional constituents essential to maintain and improve health, as well as to prevent the development and complications of diseases.
Topics: Food Ingredients; Food Technology; Microtechnology; Nanotechnology
PubMed: 33243120
DOI: 10.2174/1567201817999201125205025 -
International Journal of Biological... Jan 2019Complex coacervation is a highly promising microencapsulation technique that is extensively employed in pharmaceutical, food, agriculture and textile industries. The... (Review)
Review
Complex coacervation is a highly promising microencapsulation technique that is extensively employed in pharmaceutical, food, agriculture and textile industries. The process involves the interaction of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes in aqueous form. High payload and high encapsulation efficiency (up to 99%), relatively lower cost of processing, ability to use food-grade shell materials and synthesis at ambient temperature makes coacervation an appropriate choice in food and agrochemical industries. Various works have been documented using different polymer systems and core-shell combinations. This review paper intends to summarize some of the recent advances in complex coacervation for use in the food and agriculture areas. Current status and future trends of plant proteins utilization for complex coacervation have been reviewed. It is expected that this review will be a useful resource for material scientists, food technologists and food engineers.
Topics: Animals; Capsules; Humans; Industry; Microtechnology; Oils; Solubility; Static Electricity
PubMed: 30352231
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.10.144 -
Journal of Materials Chemistry. B Sep 2020Superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic surfaces are prevalent in nature and have received tremendous attention due to their importance in both fundamental research and... (Review)
Review
Superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic surfaces are prevalent in nature and have received tremendous attention due to their importance in both fundamental research and practical applications. With the high interdisciplinary research and great development of microfabrication techniques, artificial wettable-nonwettable micropatterns inspired by the water-collection behavior of desert beetles have been successfully fabricated. A combination of the two extreme states of superhydrophilicity and superhydrophobicity on the same surface precisely, wettable-nonwettable micropatterns possess unique functionalities, such as controllable superwetting, anisotropic wetting, oriented adhesion, and other properties. In this review, we briefly describe the methods for fabricating wettable-nonwettable patterns, including self-assembly, electrodeposition, inkjet printing, and photolithography. We also highlight some of the emerging applications such as water collection, controllable bioadhesion, cell arrays, microreactors, printing techniques, and biosensors combined with various detection methods. Finally, the current challenges and prospects of this renascent and rapidly developing field are proposed and discussed.
Topics: Bacterial Adhesion; Biomimetic Materials; Biosensing Techniques; Microtechnology; Printing; Tissue Array Analysis; Wettability
PubMed: 32785360
DOI: 10.1039/d0tb01382j -
Journal of Materials Chemistry. B Aug 2020With recent developments in the field of autonomous motion for artificial systems, many researchers are focusing on their biomedical application for active and targeted... (Review)
Review
With recent developments in the field of autonomous motion for artificial systems, many researchers are focusing on their biomedical application for active and targeted delivery. In this context, enzyme powered motors are at the forefront since they can utilize physiologically relevant fuels as their substrate and carry out catalytic reactions to power motion under in vivo conditions. This review focuses on the design and fabrication of enzyme powered motors together with their propulsion mechanism by using fuels present in biological environments. In addition, the recent advances in the field of enzyme powered motors for biomedical applications have been discussed together with the parameters that need to be considered for designing such systems. We believe that this review will provide insights and better understanding for the development of next generation biomedical technologies based on enzyme powered motors.
Topics: Biocatalysis; Biomedical Research; Enzymes; Microtechnology; Nanostructures; Nanotechnology
PubMed: 32785359
DOI: 10.1039/d0tb01245a -
Trends in Biotechnology Mar 2023We review the emergence of the new field of organ-on-a-chip (OOAC) engineering, from the parent fields of tissue engineering and microfluidics. We place into perspective... (Review)
Review
We review the emergence of the new field of organ-on-a-chip (OOAC) engineering, from the parent fields of tissue engineering and microfluidics. We place into perspective the tools and capabilities brought into the OOAC field by early tissue engineers and microfluidics experts. Liver-on-a-chip and heart-on-a-chip are used as two case studies of systems that heavily relied on tissue engineering techniques and that were amongst the first OOAC models to be implemented, motivated by the need to better assess toxicity to human tissues in preclinical drug development. We review current challenges in OOAC that often stem from the same challenges in the parent fields, such as stable vascularization and drug absorption.
Topics: Humans; Tissue Engineering; Microtechnology; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; Liver; Microfluidics
PubMed: 36725464
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.12.018