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International Journal of Nanomedicine 2022Janus particles have been at the center of attention over the years due to their asymmetric nature that makes them superior in many ways to conventional monophase... (Review)
Review
Janus particles have been at the center of attention over the years due to their asymmetric nature that makes them superior in many ways to conventional monophase particles. Several techniques have been reported for the synthesis of Janus particles; however, microfluidic-based techniques are by far the most popular due to their versatility, rapid prototyping, low reagent consumption and superior control over reaction conditions. In this review, we will go through microfluidic-based Janus particle synthesis techniques and highlight how recent advances have led to complex functionalities being imparted to the Janus particles.
Topics: Microfluidics; Multifunctional Nanoparticles
PubMed: 36160470
DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S371579 -
Journal of Biomedical Science Oct 2019Engineering approaches were adopted for liver microsystems to recapitulate cell arrangements and culture microenvironments in vivo for sensitive, high-throughput and... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
Engineering approaches were adopted for liver microsystems to recapitulate cell arrangements and culture microenvironments in vivo for sensitive, high-throughput and biomimetic drug screening. This review introduces liver microsystems in vitro for drug hepatotoxicity, drug-drug interactions, metabolic function and enzyme induction, based on cell micropatterning, hydrogel biofabrication and microfluidic perfusion. The engineered microsystems provide varied microenvironments for cell culture that feature cell coculture with non-parenchymal cells, in a heterogeneous extracellular matrix and under controllable perfusion. The engineering methods described include cell micropatterning with soft lithography and dielectrophoresis, hydrogel biofabrication with photolithography, micromolding and 3D bioprinting, and microfluidic perfusion with endothelial-like structures and gradient generators. We discuss the major challenges and trends of liver microsystems to study drug response in vitro.
Topics: Cell Engineering; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Humans; Liver; Microtechnology; Pharmaceutical Preparations
PubMed: 31660980
DOI: 10.1186/s12929-019-0575-0 -
ACS Sensors Jan 2022The physical properties of a single cell, such as mass, volume, and density, are important indications of the cell's metabolic characteristics and homeostasis. Precise... (Review)
Review
The physical properties of a single cell, such as mass, volume, and density, are important indications of the cell's metabolic characteristics and homeostasis. Precise measurement of a single cell's mass has long been a challenge due to its minute size. It is only in the past 10 years that a variety of instruments for measuring living cellular mass have emerged with the development of MEMS, microfluidics, and optics technologies. In this review, we discuss the current developments of physical cytometry for quantifying mass-related physical properties of single cells, highlighting the working principle, applications, and unique merits. The review mainly covers these measurement methods: single-cell mass cytometry, levitation image cytometry, suspended microchannel resonator, phase-shifting interferometry, and opto-electrokinetics cell manipulation. Comparisons are made between these methods in terms of throughput, content, invasiveness, compatibility, and precision. Some typical applications of these methods in pathological diagnosis, drug efficacy evaluation, disease treatment, and other related fields are also discussed in this work.
Topics: Microfluidics
PubMed: 34978200
DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.1c01787 -
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 -
Advances in Biochemical... 2022Human health is threatened by the spread of antimicrobial resistance and resulting infections. One reason for the resistance spread is the treatment with inappropriate...
Human health is threatened by the spread of antimicrobial resistance and resulting infections. One reason for the resistance spread is the treatment with inappropriate and ineffective antibiotics because standard antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods are time-consuming and laborious. To reduce the antimicrobial susceptibility detection time, minimize treatments with empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics, and thereby combat the further spread of antimicrobial resistance, faster and point-of-care methods are needed. This requires many different research approaches. Microfluidic systems for antimicrobial susceptibility testing offer the possibility to reduce the detection time, as small sample and reagent volumes can be used and the detection of single cells is possible. In some cases, the aim is to use human samples without pretreatment or pre-cultivation. This chapter first provides an overview of conventional detection methods. It then presents the potential of and various current approaches in microfluidics. The focus is on microfluidic methods for phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
Topics: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microfluidics
PubMed: 33851232
DOI: 10.1007/10_2021_164 -
Cytometry. Part a : the Journal of the... Jun 2021
Topics: Microfluidics; Single-Cell Analysis
PubMed: 34043873
DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24463 -
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 -
Mikrochimica Acta Apr 2024
Topics: Microfluidics
PubMed: 38635083
DOI: 10.1007/s00604-024-06354-9