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Microfluidic Technologies for Accelerating the Clinical Translation of Nanoparticles
Published in Lajos P. Balogh, Nano-Enabled Medical Applications, 2020
Pedro M. Valencia, Omid C. Farokhzad, Rohit Karnik, Robert Langer
Microfluidics — the science and technology of manipulating nanolitre volumes in microscale fluidic channels — has impacted a range of applications, including biological analysis, chemical synthesis, single-cell analysis and tissue engineering [14]. Building on its origins in semiconductor technology and chemical separations, the expansion of microfluidics has been driven by its ability to process small sample volumes and access biologically relevant length scales and microscale transport phenomena. This expansion has been largely facilitated by techniques, such as soft lithography, that enable rapid design and prototyping of microfluidic devices using a variety of materials [14]. Recent advances and innovations in microfluidics are expected to improve the synthesis of nanoparticles and accelerate their transition to clinical evaluation (Fig. 3.1). Although many of these microfluidic systems are still being developed, they have the potential to become widely adopted because they are economical, reproducible, amenable to modifications and can be integrated with other technologies [15]. In this chapter, we highlight some of these technologies and discuss their impact on accelerating the clinical translation of nanoparticles.
Other Hazards in Clinical NMR Examinations
Published in Bertil R. R. Persson, Freddy Ståhlberg, Health and Safety of Clinical NMR Examinations, 2019
Bertil R. R. Persson, Freddy Ståhlberg
Patients requiring mechanical ventilation are usually excluded from NMR examination because most ventilators may interfere with the operation of the imaging system or vice versa. There are, however, ventilators employing the principles of fluidics which refer to the dynamics of gases in enclosed and precisely contoured passageways.
Advanced Biotechnology
Published in Lawrence S. Chan, William C. Tang, Engineering-Medicine, 2019
A second common use of soft lithography is to create the PDMS piece with fine features molded from high-precision photoresist layers. The PDMS piece is then used as a stamp to transfer a thin layer of materials from the source onto a substrate by inking and stamping. This microcontact printing technique allows precise coating of thin layers of chemicals suitable for biomedical applications. For example, alkanethiols and proteins can be printed onto substrates coated with gold, silver, copper, palladium, or platinum. This offers an ability to engineer the properties of the metallic surfaces with molecular-level detail using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiols. The patterned SAMs have been used for studying the role of spatial signaling in cell biology by controlling the molecular structure of a surface in contact with cells (Chen et al. 1997). Microcontact printing has also been used to print precise patterns of axon guidance molecules, which acted as templates for growing retinal ganglion cell axons (von Philipsborn et al. 2006). Further, by combining various biosensors on the chip with fluidic and cell manipulation capabilities, lab-on-a-chip can be realized to perform various functions that are traditionally done in a clinical or biological laboratory, greatly enhancing the broad access to advanced medical technology.
Microfluidics in drug delivery: review of methods and applications
Published in Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, 2023
Mutasem Rawas-Qalaji, Roberta Cagliani, Noor Al-hashimi, Rahma Al-Dabbagh, Amena Al-Dabbagh, Zahid Hussain
One of the challenges that can face the development of smart microfluidic drug delivery devices is the difficulty to realize large-scale fabrication, because fluidic control in micron-sized channels is complex. To maintain a stable flow (especially for droplet microfluidics) normally requires surfactants to decrease the surface tension of the interface; but they can have the risk to contaminate the products. Particles may deposit on the inner wall of the small channel, which will accumulate to clog the channel and disrupt the flow continuity (Wang et al. 2018). Many micro devices are implantable and have been tested through in vivo experiments. However, further advanced integration into microfluidic platforms is still required to improve diverse functions, such as self-tuning dynamic and personalized drug delivery for the microneedle systems (Ma et al. 2022).
Expression levels of maternal plasma microRNAs in preeclamptic pregnancies
Published in Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2021
Utku Akgör, Lokman Ayaz, Filiz Çayan
qRT-PCR: Quantitative real-time PCR reactions were done with a high-throughput BioMark Real-Time PCR system. This samples are the diluted preamplified cDNAs with low-EDTA (0.1 mM) TE buffer (1:5), TaqMan Universal PCR Master Mix and GE sample loading reagent were mixed and then pipetted into a 96-well plate; then diluted preamplified cDNA was added into each well and mixed. After all the samples were mixed in this way, Master mix + diluted PreAmplified cDNA was carefully pipetted into the section marked sample in Dynamic Array 96.96. miRNAs were analysed with this device. The source of this analysis is integrated fluidic circuits. qRT-PCR cycling terms were as follows: 50 °C for 2 min, 70 °C for 30 min and 25 °C for 5 min. Then the UNG and Hot start protocol came after by 50 °C for 2 min and 95 °C for 5 min. At last, the PCR cycle was followed by 40 cycles of 95 °C for 15 s and 60 °C for 60 s.
Diagnostics in space: will zero gravity add weight to new advances?
Published in Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 2020
Thus far, we have only described fluidic operations in our device that are in the range of 500 microlitres to a few millilitres. Recently, microfluidic-based diagnostic approaches have been gaining in popularity as reflected by the number of articles published. The end goal of this field is to produce sample-in/answer-out, low-cost systems. Although researchers are making significant progress in this field, serious obstacles are still present in the development of automated microfluidic systems. This is especially true in the areas of sample preparation, interfacing real-world sample volumes to run in the systems, quality and reproducible detection, and most importantly, elimination of external fluidic control components that add cost and complexity. To make these systems more than research tools, the reproducibility of these systems needs to be further improved and validated with clinical specimens and then tested in microgravity. For example, bubble management in microgravity can be a challenge. Bubbles can effectively clog the pathways of a microfluidic device and/or interfere with the detection process. Additionally, the field lacks both rapid and easy means of manufacturing and industrial implementation with high-quality controls. The successful transition of microfluidic molecular diagnostic devices from the laboratory into a space crews' hands will hinge upon the implementation of effective and practical fluid flow control without the need for complex flow control components such as syringe pumps, computer-controlled valves, and pressure regulators.