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Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jan 2022In this study, the occurrence of pharmaceuticals, hormones and bacterial community structures was studied at a wastewater treatment plant in Finland having two different...
Analysis of pharmaceuticals, hormones and bacterial communities in a municipal wastewater treatment plant - Comparison of parallel full-scale membrane bioreactor and activated sludge systems.
In this study, the occurrence of pharmaceuticals, hormones and bacterial community structures was studied at a wastewater treatment plant in Finland having two different parallel treatment lines: conventional activated sludge (CAS) treatment with a sedimentation stage, and a membrane bioreactor (MBR). Influent and effluents were sampled seven times over a period of one year. The bacterial communities of the influent samples showed a high degree of similarity, except for the February sample which had substantially lower diversity. There was significant fluctuation in the species richness and diversity of the effluent samples, although both effluents showed a similar trend. A marked decrease in diversity was observed in effluents collected between August and November. The initiation of nitrogen removal as a result of an increase in temperature could explain the changes in microbial community structures. In overall terms, suspended solids, bacteria and total organic matter (COD and BOD) were removed to a greater extent using the MBR, while higher Tot-N, Tot-P and nitrate removal rates were achieved using the CAS treatment. Estrone (E1) concentrations were also consistently at a lower level in the MBR effluents (<0.1-0.68 ng/l) compared to the CAS effluents (1.1-12 ng/l). Due to the high variation in the concentrations of pharmaceuticals, no clear superiority of either process could be demonstrated with certainty. The study highlights the importance of long-term sampling campaigns to detect variations effectively.
Topics: Bacteria; Bioreactors; Hormones; Membranes, Artificial; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Sewage; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewater; Water Purification
PubMed: 34743964
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118433 -
Biomedizinische Technik. Biomedical... Dec 2022Bioreactors are important tools for the pre-conditioning of tissue-engineered heart valves. The current state of the art mostly provides for timed, physical and...
Bioreactors are important tools for the pre-conditioning of tissue-engineered heart valves. The current state of the art mostly provides for timed, physical and biochemical stimulation in the bioreactor systems according to standard protocols (SOP). However, this does not meet to the individual biological variability of living tissue-engineered constructs. To achieve this, it is necessary to implement (i) sensory systems that detect the actual status of the implant and (ii) controllable bioreactor systems that allow patient-individualized pre-conditioning. During the maturation process, a pulsatile transvalvular flow of culture medium is generated within the bioreactor. For the improvement of this conditioning procedure, the relationship between the mechanical and biochemical stimuli and the corresponding tissue response has to be analyzed by performing reproducible and comparable experiments. In this work, a technological framework for maturation experiments of tissue-engineered heart valves in a pulsating bioreactor is introduced. The aim is the development of a bioreactor system that allows for continuous control and documentation of the conditioning process to increase reproducibility and comparability of experiments. This includes hardware components, a communication structure and software including online user communication and supervision. Preliminary experiments were performed with a tissue-engineered heart valve to evaluate the function of the new system. The results of the experiment proof the adequacy of the setup. Consequently, the concept is an important step for further research towards controlled maturation of tissue-engineered heart valves. The integration of molecular and histological sensor systems will be the next important step towards a fully automated, self-controlled preconditioning system.
Topics: Humans; Heart Valve Prosthesis; Reproducibility of Results; Bioreactors; Tissue Engineering; Heart Valves
PubMed: 36094469
DOI: 10.1515/bmt-2021-0379 -
Bioengineered Dec 2020
Topics: Bioengineering; Bioreactors; Microalgae
PubMed: 32077364
DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2020.1729546 -
Trends in Biotechnology Dec 2019Microphysiological systems (MPSs) have been proposed as an improved tool to recreate the complex biological features of the native niche with the goal of improving... (Review)
Review
Microphysiological systems (MPSs) have been proposed as an improved tool to recreate the complex biological features of the native niche with the goal of improving in vitro-in vivo extrapolation. In just over a decade, MPS technologies have progressed from single-tissue chips to multitissue plates with integrated pumps for perfusion. Concurrently, techniques for biofabrication of complex 3D constructs for regenerative medicine and 3D in vitro models have evolved into a diverse toolbox for micrometer-scale deposition of cells and cell-laden bioinks. However, as the complexity of biological models increases, experimental throughput is often compromised. This review discusses the existing disparity between MPS complexity and throughput, then examines an MPS-terminated biofabrication line to identify the hurdles and potential approaches to overcoming this disparity.
Topics: Animals; Bioreactors; Humans; Models, Biological; Tissue Engineering
PubMed: 31202544
DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2019.04.009 -
Journal of Agricultural and Food... Sep 2022The evolution of complex in vitro models of the human gastrointestinal system to interrogate the biochemical functionality of the gut microbiome has augmented our... (Review)
Review
The evolution of complex in vitro models of the human gastrointestinal system to interrogate the biochemical functionality of the gut microbiome has augmented our understanding of its role in human physiology and pathology. With 5718 authors from 52 countries, gut bioreactor research reflects the growing awareness of our need to understand the contribution of the gut microbiome to human health. Although a large body of knowledge has been generated from in vitro models, it is scattered and defined by application-specific terminologies. To better grasp the capacity of bioreactors and further our knowledge of the human gastrointestinal system, we have conducted a cross-field bibliometric search and mapped the evolution of human gastrointestinal in vitro research. We present reference material with the aim of identifying key authors and bioreactor types to enable researchers to make decisions regarding the choice of method for simulating the human gut in the context of microbiome functionality.
Topics: Bibliometrics; Bioreactors; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gastrointestinal Tract; Humans; Microbiota
PubMed: 36095091
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c03597 -
Lab on a Chip Sep 2021Retinal degeneration is a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness worldwide and medical care for advanced disease does not exist. Stem cell-derived retinal...
Retinal degeneration is a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness worldwide and medical care for advanced disease does not exist. Stem cell-derived retinal organoids (RtOgs) became an emerging tool for tissue replacement therapy. However, existing RtOg production methods are highly heterogeneous. Controlled and predictable methodology and tools are needed to standardize RtOg production and maintenance. In this study, we designed a shear stress-free micro-millifluidic bioreactor for nearly labor-free retinal organoid maintenance. We used a stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer to fabricate a mold from which Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was cast. We optimized the chip design using in silico simulations and in vitro evaluation to optimize mass transfer efficiency and concentration uniformity in each culture chamber. We successfully cultured RtOgs at three different differentiation stages (day 41, 88, and 128) on an optimized bioreactor chip for more than 1 month. We used different quantitative and qualitative techniques to fully characterize the RtOgs produced by static dish culture and bioreactor culture methods. By analyzing the results from phase contrast microscopy, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA seq), quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), immunohistology, and electron microscopy, we found that bioreactor-cultured RtOgs developed cell types and morphology comparable to static cultured ones and exhibited similar retinal genes expression levels. We also evaluated the metabolic activity of RtOgs in both groups using fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM), and found that the outer surface region of bioreactor cultured RtOgs had a comparable free/bound NADH ratio and overall lower long lifetime species (LLS) ratio than static cultured RtOgs during imaging. To summarize, we validated an automated micro-millifluidic device with significantly reduced shear stress to produce RtOgs of comparable quality to those maintained in conventional static culture.
Topics: Bioreactors; Cell Differentiation; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; Organoids; Retina
PubMed: 34236056
DOI: 10.1039/d1lc00011j -
Nature Communications Jun 2022Small-scale, low-cost bioreactors provide exquisite control of environmental parameters of microbial cultures over long durations. Their use is gaining popularity in...
Small-scale, low-cost bioreactors provide exquisite control of environmental parameters of microbial cultures over long durations. Their use is gaining popularity in quantitative systems and synthetic biology. However, existing setups are limited in their measurement capabilities. Here, we present ReacSight, a strategy to enhance bioreactor arrays for automated measurements and reactive experiment control. ReacSight leverages low-cost pipetting robots for sample collection, handling and loading, and provides a flexible instrument control architecture. We showcase ReacSight capabilities on three applications in yeast. First, we demonstrate real-time optogenetic control of gene expression. Second, we explore the impact of nutrient scarcity on fitness and cellular stress using competition assays. Third, we perform dynamic control of the composition of a two-strain consortium. We combine custom or chi.bio reactors with automated cytometry. To further illustrate ReacSight's genericity, we use it to enhance plate-readers with pipetting capabilities and perform repeated antibiotic treatments on a bacterial clinical isolate.
Topics: Bioreactors; Synthetic Biology
PubMed: 35690608
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31033-9 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2020Biomimetic bioreactor systems are increasingly being developed for tissue engineering applications, due to their ability to recreate the native cell/tissue...
Biomimetic bioreactor systems are increasingly being developed for tissue engineering applications, due to their ability to recreate the native cell/tissue microenvironment. Regarding bone-related diseases and considering the piezoelectric nature of bone, piezoelectric scaffolds electromechanically stimulated by a bioreactor, providing the stimuli to the cells, allows a biomimetic approach and thus, mimicking the required microenvironment for effective growth and differentiation of bone cells. In this work, a bioreactor has been designed and built allowing to magnetically stimulate magnetoelectric scaffolds and therefore provide mechanical and electrical stimuli to the cells through magnetomechanical or magnetoelectrical effects, depending on the piezoelectric nature of the scaffold. While mechanical bioreactors need direct application of the stimuli on the scaffolds, the herein proposed magnetic bioreactors allow for a remote stimulation without direct contact with the material. Thus, the stimuli application (23 mT at a frequency of 0.3 Hz) to cells seeded on the magnetoelectric, leads to an increase in cell viability of almost 30% with respect to cell culture under static conditions. This could be valuable to mimic what occurs in the human body and for application in immobilized patients. Thus, special emphasis has been placed on the control, design and modeling parameters governing the bioreactor as well as its functional mechanism.
Topics: Biomimetics; Bioreactors; Bone and Bones; Cell Culture Techniques; Humans; Magnetic Phenomena; Tissue Engineering
PubMed: 32545551
DOI: 10.3390/s20123340 -
Current Opinion in Biotechnology Apr 2018The replacement of fossil and agricultural feedstocks with sustainable alternatives for the production of chemicals and fuels is a societal and environmental necessity.... (Review)
Review
The replacement of fossil and agricultural feedstocks with sustainable alternatives for the production of chemicals and fuels is a societal and environmental necessity. This challenge can be tackled by using inorganic or one-carbon compounds as electron donors for microbial CO fixation and bioproduction. Yet, considering the wide array of microbial electron donors, which are the best suited for bioindustry? Here, we propose criteria to evaluate these compounds, considering factors such as production methods, physicochemical properties, and microbial utilization. H, CO, and formate emerge as the most promising electron donors as they can be produced electrochemically at high efficiency and, importantly, have reduction potentials low enough to directly reduce the cellular electron carriers. Still, further research towards the production and utilization of other electron donors-especially phosphite-might unlock the full potential of microbial CO fixation and bioproduction.
Topics: Bacteria; Bioreactors; Biotechnology; Carbon Cycle; Electrochemistry; Electrons
PubMed: 29453021
DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2018.01.019 -
Zhongguo Xiu Fu Chong Jian Wai Ke Za... Jun 2021To review the advances in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in tissue engineering. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To review the advances in the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in tissue engineering.
METHODS
The latest research of CFD applied to tissue engineering were extensively retrieved and analyzed, the optimization of bioreactor design and the simulation of fluid dynamics and cell growth kinetics during tissue regeneration were mainly reviewed.
RESULTS
The simulation and predictive capabilities of CFD can provide important guidance for the optimization of bioreactor design, and the cultivation of engineering tissue. The accuracy of model prediction results can be further improved by combining with experimental research.
CONCLUSION
As a new and effective research tool, CFD has its unique advantages in the application of tissue engineering. However, a more comprehensive and accurate simulation of the whole process of tissue regeneration still needs further studies.
Topics: Bioreactors; Cell Proliferation; Computer Simulation; Hydrodynamics; Tissue Engineering
PubMed: 34142507
DOI: 10.7507/1002-1892.202012098