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ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces Apr 2022Microfluidic devices are gaining extensive interest due to their potential applications in wide-ranging areas, including lab-on-a-chip devices, fluid delivery, and...
Microfluidic devices are gaining extensive interest due to their potential applications in wide-ranging areas, including lab-on-a-chip devices, fluid delivery, and artificial vascular networks. Most current microfluidic devices are in a planar design with fixed configurations once formed, which limits their applications such as in engineered vascular networks in biology and programmable drug delivery systems. Here, shape-programmable three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic structures, which are assembled from a bilayer of channel-embedded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and shape-memory polymers (SMPs) via compressive buckling, are reported. 3D microfluidics in diverse geometries including those in open-mesh configurations are presented. In addition, they can be programmed into temporary shapes and recover their original shape under thermal stimuli due to the shape memory effect of the SMP component, with fluid flow in the microfluidic channels well maintained in both deformed and recovered shapes. Furthermore, the shape-fixing effect of SMPs enables freestanding open-mesh 3D microfluidic structures without the need for a substrate to maintain the 3D shape as used in previous studies. By adding magnetic particles into the PDMS layer, magnetically responsive 3D microfluidic structures are enabled to achieve fast, remote programming of the structures via a portable magnet. A 3D design phase diagram is constructed to show the effects of the magnetic PDMS/SMP thickness ratio and the volume fraction of magnetic particles on the shape programmability of the 3D microfluidic structures. The developed shape-programmable, open-mesh 3D microfluidic structures offer many opportunities for applications including tissue engineering, drug delivery, and many others.
Topics: Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; Microfluidics
PubMed: 35319180
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c24799 -
Sichuan Da Xue Xue Bao. Yi Xue Ban =... May 2023Droplet-based microfluidics is a technology that generates and manipulates highly uniform droplets, ranging from picoliter to nanoliter droplets, in microchannels under... (Review)
Review
Droplet-based microfluidics is a technology that generates and manipulates highly uniform droplets, ranging from picoliter to nanoliter droplets, in microchannels under precise control. In biological research, each droplet can be used to encapsulate a small group of cells or even a single cell, and then serve as an individual container for biochemical reaction, which is well suited for high-throughput and high-resolution biochemical analysis. In the field of microbial research, from cultivation and identification of microbes to the investigation of the spatiotemporal dynamics of microbial communities, from precise quantitation of microbiota to systematic study of microbial interactions, and from the isolation of rare and unculturable microbes to the development of genetically engineered strains, droplet microfluidic technology has played an important promotional role in all these aspects. Droplet microfluidics shows potential for becoming a basic tool for exploring single-cell microbes in microbiological research. In this review, we gave a brief overview of the technical basis of droplet microfluidics. Then, we presented its latest applications in microbial research and had some discussions, aiming to provide a reference for relevant research on microorganisms.
Topics: Microfluidics; Microfluidic Analytical Techniques
PubMed: 37248604
DOI: 10.12182/20230560303 -
Cancer Letters Feb 2016Ionizing radiations interact with molecules at the cellular and molecular levels leading to several biochemical modifications that may be responsible for biological... (Review)
Review
Ionizing radiations interact with molecules at the cellular and molecular levels leading to several biochemical modifications that may be responsible for biological effects on tissue or whole organisms. The study of these changes is difficult because of the complexity of the biological response(s) to radiations and the lack of reliable models able to mimic the whole molecular phenomenon and different communications between the various cell networks, from the cell activation to the macroscopic effect at the tissue or organismal level. Microfluidics, the science and technology of systems that can handle small amounts of fluids in confined and controlled environment, has been an emerging field for several years. Some microfluidic devices, even at early stages of development, may already help radiobiological research by proposing new approaches to study cellular, tissue and total-body behavior upon irradiation. These devices may also be used in clinical biodosimetry since microfluidic technology is frequently developed for integrating complex bioassay chemistries into automated user-friendly, reproducible and sensitive analyses. In this review, we discuss the use, numerous advantages, and possible future of microfluidic technology in the field of radiobiology. We will also examine the disadvantages and required improvements for microfluidics to be fully practical in radiation research and to become an enabling tool for radiobiologists and radiation oncologists.
Topics: Animals; Automation, Laboratory; Biomarkers, Tumor; Equipment Design; Humans; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; Microfluidics; Neoplasms; Radiation Dosage; Radiation Oncology; Radiobiology
PubMed: 26704304
DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2015.11.033 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2023Microfluidic technology is a powerful tool to enable the rapid, accurate, and on-site analysis of forensically relevant evidence on a crime scene. This review paper... (Review)
Review
Microfluidic technology is a powerful tool to enable the rapid, accurate, and on-site analysis of forensically relevant evidence on a crime scene. This review paper provides a summary on the application of this technology in various forensic investigation fields spanning from forensic serology and human identification to discriminating and analyzing diverse classes of drugs and explosives. Each aspect is further explained by providing a short summary on general forensic workflow and investigations for body fluid identification as well as through the analysis of drugs and explosives. Microfluidic technology, including fabrication methodologies, materials, and working modules, are touched upon. Finally, the current shortcomings on the implementation of the microfluidic technology in the forensic field are discussed along with the future perspectives.
Topics: Humans; Explosive Agents; Forensic Sciences; Microfluidics; Chemistry Techniques, Analytical; DNA; Illicit Drugs; Animals
PubMed: 37447704
DOI: 10.3390/s23135856 -
Small (Weinheim An Der Bergstrasse,... Sep 2015Plasmofluidics is the synergistic integration of plasmonics and micro/nanofluidics in devices and applications in order to enhance performance. There has been... (Review)
Review
Plasmofluidics is the synergistic integration of plasmonics and micro/nanofluidics in devices and applications in order to enhance performance. There has been significant progress in the emerging field of plasmofluidics in recent years. By utilizing the capability of plasmonics to manipulate light at the nanoscale, combined with the unique optical properties of fluids and precise manipulation via micro/nanofluidics, plasmofluidic technologies enable innovations in lab-on-a-chip systems, reconfigurable photonic devices, optical sensing, imaging, and spectroscopy. In this review article, the most recent advances in plasmofluidics are examined and categorized into plasmon-enhanced functionalities in microfluidics and microfluidics-enhanced plasmonic devices. The former focuses on plasmonic manipulations of fluids, bubbles, particles, biological cells, and molecules at the micro/nanoscale. The latter includes technological advances that apply microfluidic principles to enable reconfigurable plasmonic devices and performance-enhanced plasmonic sensors. The article is concluded with perspectives on the upcoming challenges, opportunities, and possible future directions of the emerging field of plasmofluidics.
Topics: Light; Microfluidics; Nanotechnology; Plasma Gases; Spectrum Analysis
PubMed: 26140612
DOI: 10.1002/smll.201500970 -
Molecular Aspects of Medicine Feb 2018Single-cell technology has a major impact on the field of immunology. It enables the kinetics and logic of immune signaling and immune cell migration to be elucidated,... (Review)
Review
Single-cell technology has a major impact on the field of immunology. It enables the kinetics and logic of immune signaling and immune cell migration to be elucidated, facilitates antibody screening and allows massively parallelized analysis of B- and T-cell repertoires. Impressive progress has been made over the last decade, strongly boosted by microfluidic approaches. In this review, we summarize the most powerful microfluidic systems based on continuous flow, nanowells, valves and droplets and we analyze their benefits for phenotypic characterization, drug discovery and next generation sequencing experiments. We describe current limitations and provide an outlook on important future applications.
Topics: Animals; Drug Discovery; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Humans; Microfluidics; Single-Cell Analysis
PubMed: 28927942
DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2017.09.004 -
International Journal of Molecular... Sep 2015The basic structural and functional unit of a living organism is a single cell. To understand the variability and to improve the biomedical requirement of a single cell,... (Review)
Review
The basic structural and functional unit of a living organism is a single cell. To understand the variability and to improve the biomedical requirement of a single cell, its analysis has become a key technique in biological and biomedical research. With a physical boundary of microchannels and microstructures, single cells are efficiently captured and analyzed, whereas electric forces sort and position single cells. Various microfluidic techniques have been exploited to manipulate single cells through hydrodynamic and electric forces. Digital microfluidics (DMF), the manipulation of individual droplets holding minute reagents and cells of interest by electric forces, has received more attention recently. Because of ease of fabrication, compactness and prospective automation, DMF has become a powerful approach for biological application. We review recent developments of various microfluidic chips for analysis of a single cell and for efficient genetic screening. In addition, perspectives to develop analysis of single cells based on DMF and emerging functionality with high throughput are discussed.
Topics: Animals; Automation, Laboratory; High-Throughput Screening Assays; Humans; Microfluidics; Single-Cell Analysis
PubMed: 26389890
DOI: 10.3390/ijms160922319 -
Nature Reviews. Chemistry Jun 2023Open droplet microfluidic systems manipulate droplets on the picolitre-to-microlitre scale in an open environment. They combine the compartmentalization and control... (Review)
Review
Open droplet microfluidic systems manipulate droplets on the picolitre-to-microlitre scale in an open environment. They combine the compartmentalization and control offered by traditional droplet-based microfluidics with the accessibility and ease-of-use of open microfluidics, bringing unique advantages to applications such as combinatorial reactions, droplet analysis and cell culture. Open systems provide direct access to droplets and allow on-demand droplet manipulation within the system without needing pumps or tubes, which makes the systems accessible to biologists without sophisticated setups. Furthermore, these systems can be produced with simple manufacturing and assembly steps that allow for manufacturing at scale and the translation of the method into clinical research. This Review introduces the different types of open droplet microfluidic system, presents the physical concepts leveraged by these systems and highlights key applications.
Topics: Microfluidics; Biology
PubMed: 37117816
DOI: 10.1038/s41570-023-00483-0 -
Biosensors Jan 2023The utilizations of microfluidic chips for single RBC (red blood cell) studies have attracted great interests in recent years to filter, trap, analyze, and release... (Review)
Review
The utilizations of microfluidic chips for single RBC (red blood cell) studies have attracted great interests in recent years to filter, trap, analyze, and release single erythrocytes for various applications. Researchers in this field have highlighted the vast potential in developing micro devices for industrial and academia usages, including lab-on-a-chip and organ-on-a-chip systems. This article critically reviews the current state-of-the-art and recent advances of microfluidics for single RBC analyses, including integrated sensors and microfluidic platforms for microscopic/tomographic/spectroscopic single RBC analyses, trapping arrays (including bifurcating channels), dielectrophoretic and agglutination/aggregation studies, as well as clinical implications covering cancer, sepsis, prenatal, and Sickle Cell diseases. Microfluidics based RBC microarrays, sorting/counting and trapping techniques (including acoustic, dielectrophoretic, hydrodynamic, magnetic, and optical techniques) are also reviewed. Lastly, organs on chips, multi-organ chips, and drug discovery involving single RBC are described. The limitations and drawbacks of each technology are addressed and future prospects are discussed.
Topics: Humans; Microfluidics; Erythrocytes; Hematologic Tests; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; Anemia, Sickle Cell; Microfluidic Analytical Techniques
PubMed: 36671952
DOI: 10.3390/bios13010117 -
The Analyst Nov 2015Early and timely detection of disease biomarkers can prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and drastically decrease the death rate of people suffering from... (Review)
Review
Early and timely detection of disease biomarkers can prevent the spread of infectious diseases, and drastically decrease the death rate of people suffering from different diseases such as cancer and infectious diseases. Because conventional diagnostic methods have limited application in low-resource settings due to the use of bulky and expensive instrumentation, simple and low-cost point-of-care diagnostic devices for timely and early biomarker diagnosis is the need of the hour, especially in rural areas and developing nations. The microfluidics technology possesses remarkable features for simple, low-cost, and rapid disease diagnosis. There have been significant advances in the development of microfluidic platforms for biomarker detection of diseases. This article reviews recent advances in biomarker detection using cost-effective microfluidic devices for disease diagnosis, with the emphasis on infectious disease and cancer diagnosis in low-resource settings. This review first introduces different microfluidic platforms (e.g. polymer and paper-based microfluidics) used for disease diagnosis, with a brief description of their common fabrication techniques. Then, it highlights various detection strategies for disease biomarker detection using microfluidic platforms, including colorimetric, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence (ECL), and electrochemical detection. Finally, it discusses the current limitations of microfluidic devices for disease biomarker detection and future prospects.
Topics: Biomarkers; Colorimetry; Communicable Diseases; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Developing Countries; Electrochemistry; Humans; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; Luminescence; Microfluidic Analytical Techniques; Microfluidics; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Neoplasms; Paper; Point-of-Care Systems
PubMed: 26171467
DOI: 10.1039/c5an00780a