Lab on a Chip最新文献

{"title":"<i>Luffa cylindrica</i>-inspired powerless micropump: long-term, high-flow operation and energy-generation application.","authors":"Jungjae Woo, Jeongmin Seo, Hyewon Cho, Soeun Park, Changsoo Han, Hyejeong Kim","doi":"10.1039/d5lc00068h","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5lc00068h","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Powerless micropumps are in increasing demand for applications requiring portability, simplicity, and long-term operation. However, several existing passive pumps have limitations such as sustained high flow rates and extended operational periods. Inspired by the unique structural characteristics of <i>Luffa cylindrica</i>, this study aims to develop a biomimetic micropump capable of long-term and high-flow operation. By examining the water transport mechanisms in a hierarchical porous structure, we designed and fabricated micropumps that replicate these mechanisms. A key aspect of this design is the integration of flow resistors, which enables precise control over the absorption rates and extend the pumping duration. The cone-shaped agarose aerogel (AAG) micropump operates for over 930 min with an average flow rate of 5.6 μl min^-1, demonstrating significant longevity. The agarose superabsorbent polymer aerogel (ASAG) micropump, while having a shorter operational duration of approximately 620 min, exhibited a significantly higher average pumping rate of 13.2 μl min^-1. This study highlights the potential of bio-inspired designs for advancing efficient and powerless pumping systems. The proposed micropump shows promise for applications in microfluidic devices and reverse electrodialysis systems, where continuous and sustainable fluid transport is essential.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143661643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Elevated interstitial flow in the cerebrospinal fluid microenvironment accelerates glioblastoma cell migration on a microfluidic chip.","authors":"Wanting Hu, Hua Sun, Huibo Qi, Linkai Jiang, Kaining Zhang, Xiaomeng Jia, Yu Wang, Yu Xiang, Qionglin Liang","doi":"10.1039/d5lc00015g","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5lc00015g","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Glioblastoma is one of the most malignant tumors in the world, but the development of its therapies remains limited. Herein, a microfluidic chip that mimics the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation microenvironment is proposed to study the migration characteristics of glioblastoma U87-MG cells and U251 cells in complex environments where glioblastoma coexists with diseases that elevate CSF levels. In the presence of interstitial flow (IF), changing both cell densities and the cellular environment results in increased cell motility, including an increase in the number of migrating cells, the mean displacement of the top 30% fastest-moving cells, and the overall mean displacement. Then, through dynamic migration characterization analysis, it was found that IF enhances cell velocity and speed. Importantly, cells exposed to IF tend to migrate in directions with smaller angles of deviation from the opposite direction of IF. Finally, cytoskeleton inhibitors and decreased expressions of focal adhesion proteins, such as cytochalasin D, FAK inhibitors (VS-6063 and PF-573228), and FAK siRNA, were both proved to decrease the cells' response to IF. This work not only demonstrates the effect of IF on glioblastoma cell migration, but also indicates the reliability of microfluidic chips for modeling complex physiological environments, which is expected to be further developed for drug screening.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143661645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A biosensor-integrated filtration device for nanoparticle isolation and label-free imaging.","authors":"Leyang Liu, Takhmina Ayupova, Saurabh Umrao, Lucas D Akin, Han-Keun Lee, Joseph Tibbs, Xing Wang, Utkan Demirci, Brian T Cunningham","doi":"10.1039/d5lc00089k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5lc00089k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rapid, efficient, simple approaches for biological nanoparticle recovery from bodily fluids are required for translating detection strategies from lab diagnostics to low-resource settings, where expensive sample processing instruments such as an ultracentrifuge are not accessible. In this work, we characterize an alternative approach in which intact nanoparticles are filtered from plasma with a nanoporous filtration device that separates particulates within a 100-200 nm diameter range followed by detection on a photonic crystal (PC) biosensor with a portable photonic resonator interferometric scattering microscopy (PRISM) instrument. The biosensor-integrated recovery device's (BIRD) collection efficiency is initially characterized using gold nanoparticles and fluorescent nanobeads suspended in buffer solution and plasma, followed by spiking intact HIV pseudovirus into the same media. We demonstrate a recovery rate of 55.0% for 100 nm diameter AuNP and HIV spiked into the buffer and 11.9% for 100 nm diameter FluoSpheres spiked in human plasma. Using PRISM, we observed the Brownian motion of filtered nanoparticles and virions eluted into the detection compartment, with concentration-dependent counting of transient contact events between the nanoparticles and the PC surface.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143655668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"3D nanoprinting of PDMS microvessels with tailored tortuosity and microporosity <i>via</i> direct laser writing.","authors":"Xin Xu, Yunxiu Qiu, Chen-Yu Chen, Molly Carton, Paige M R Campbell, A Muhaymin Chowdhury, Bidhan C Bandyopadhyay, William E Bentley, Bryan Ronain Smith, Ryan D Sochol","doi":"10.1039/d4lc01051e","DOIUrl":"10.1039/d4lc01051e","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microvessels (<i>e.g.</i>, capillaries) are ubiquitous throughout human anatomy, yet recreating their three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic and architectural sophistication at biologically accurate length scales has remained a critical challenge. To overcome this barrier, here we report a hybrid additive manufacturing-or \"3D printing\"-strategy in which \"Two-Photon Direct Laser Writing (DLW)\" is used to nanoprint microvessels of arbitrary design directly atop \"Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD)\" 3D-printed microfluidic chips. Fabrication results indicated effective production of 100 μm-diameter 3D polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic vessels with 5 μm-thick walls-featuring arrays of pre-designed 5 μm-diameter micropores-as well as three discrete spiralled, intertwined microvessels. Experimental results with MDA-MB-231 epithelial breast cancer cells revealed the ability for the 3D PDMS microvessels to support cell culture. In combination, these results suggest that the presented strategy for 3D nanoprinting PDMS microvessels with custom-designed architectures and microporosity offers a promising pathway to enable new classes of \"organ-on-a-chip (OOC)\" systems for wide-ranging biomedical applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11921864/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143655667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"On-demand photo-controlled motion enabled by solvent-driven mesogen alignment switch.","authors":"Pingping Wu, Rongwei Kou, Shuai Huang, Hongyu Li, Yuanyuan Shang, Yuzhen Zhao, Junchao Liu","doi":"10.1039/d5lc00045a","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5lc00045a","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Azobenzene mesogen, as a typical photo-responsive material, has potential possibility in the field of soft robots based on its <i>trans</i>-<i>cis</i> isomerization. The alignment of the azobenzene mesogen in a polymer network has a decisive impact on the photo-actuation behavior of the membrane. However, the alignment of mesogens is difficult to change after being determined, which limits the diversity of actuation modes. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a facile solvent treatment approach to reversibly change the alignment of mesogens in the polymer network. The as-prepared membrane demonstrates reversible photo-actuation behavior under UV-vis irradiation based on the strong penetration of the solvent into the polymer network, leading to disruption of the original ordered alignment of the mesogen. Promising application of a photo-driven membrane floating and sinking in the liquid phase is demonstrated. The results of this study are of great significance for the design and fabrication of a novel-type azobenzene actuator in the liquid phase.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143655670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intraluminal pressure triggers a rapid and persistent reinforcement of endothelial barriers.","authors":"Aurélien Bancaud, Tadaaki Nakajima, Jun-Ichi Suehiro, Baptiste Alric, Florent Morfoisse, Jean Cacheux, Yukiko T Matsunaga","doi":"10.1039/d5lc00104h","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5lc00104h","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In response to mechanical cues, endothelial cells elicit highly sensitive cellular response pathways that contribute to the regulation of the physiology and disorders of the vascular system. However, it remains relatively unexplored how endothelial tissues process and integrate the intraluminal pressure, and in turn regulate the permeation flow across the vessel wall. Leveraging a tissue engineering approach to create microvessels (MVs), we measured real-time permeation flow induced by intraluminal pressures ranging from 0.1 to 2.0 kPa. Our findings reveal that mechanically stimulated MVs strengthen their barrier function within seconds of exposure to pressures below 1 kPa, with this enhanced barrier function persisting for 30 minutes. We demonstrate that this barrier reinforcement is linked to the closure of paracellular gaps. Additionally, we observe that it is associated with, and depends on, actin cytoskeleton reorganization, including the accumulation of stress fibers near intercellular junctions and the broadening of adherence junction protein localization. These findings provide insights into the ability of endothelial tissues to regulate interstitial fluid flow in response to sudden increases in blood pressure.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143655669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Highly efficient isolation and multistep analysis of tumor cells from whole blood.","authors":"Michael Knapp, Samir Kadić, Astrid Lux, Nils Paust, Roland Zengerle, Jochen Hoffmann","doi":"10.1039/d4lc00759j","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4lc00759j","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We present a microfluidic solution for improved tumor cell analysis based on selection-free isolation of nucleated cells from whole blood. It consists of a high-density silicon microcavity array combined with the novel fluidic strategy of microfluidic decanting. This enables multistep on-chip staining protocols comprising sample loading-blocking-extracellular staining-fixation-permeabilization and intracellular staining to quantify tumor cells. The performance of the workflow was investigated and proven by spiking colon cancer cell lines into whole blood for the detection of the epithelial tumor markers EpCAM and cytokeratin. Total cell recovery rates of ≥95% were achieved for different sample species. The method allows for rapid reagent exchange within 10 s each almost without cell loss compared to approximately 50% cell loss in reference centrifugal processing. The isolation of nucleated cells resulted in a high intra-assay precision with a CV of 2% and a single cell per well distribution of 90%, which is consistent with the theoretical estimate using Poisson statistics. The linearity of the method was demonstrated over three orders of magnitude with <i>r</i>² = 0.9998. These results demonstrate a highly efficient approach for the quantification of tumor cells from whole blood that could be integrated into automated point-of-care devices in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143612707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Low-cost and automated magnetic bead-based DNA data writing <i>via</i> digital microfluidics.","authors":"Mengdi Bao, Brett Herdendorf, Gemma Mendonsa, Sriram Chari, Anil Reddy","doi":"10.1039/d5lc00106d","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d5lc00106d","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The rapid growth in data generation presents a significant challenge for conventional storage technologies. DNA storage has emerged as a promising solution, offering substantially greater storage density and durability. However, the current DNA data writing process is costly and labor-intensive, hindering the commercialization of DNA data storage. In this study, we present a digital microfluidics (DMF) platform integrated with E47 DNAzyme ligation chemistry to develop a programmable, cost-effective, and automated DNA data writing process. Our method utilizes pre-synthesized single-stranded DNA as building blocks, which can be assembled into diverse DNA sequences that encode desired data. By employing DNAzymes as biocatalysts, we enable an enzyme-free ligation process at room temperature, significantly reducing costs compared to traditional enzyme-based methods. Our proof-of-concept demonstrates an automated DNA writing process with the reduced reagent input, providing an alternative solution to the high costs associated with current DNA data storage methods. The high specificity of ligation using DNAzymes obviates the need for storing each unique DNA block in its own reservoir, which greatly reduces the total number of reservoirs required to store the starting material. This simplifies the overall layout, and the associated plumbing of the DMF platform. To adapt the conventional column-purification required ligation on the DMF platform, we introduce a DNAzyme-cleavage-assisted bead purification assay. This method employs 17E DNAzymes to cleave and release biotinylated DNA from streptavidin beads, followed by a one-pot ligation with E47 DNAzymes to assemble the desired DNA strands. Our study represents a significant advancement in DNA data storage technology, offering a cost-effective and automated solution that enhances scalability and practicality for commercial DNA data storage applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"MechanoBioCAD: a generalized semi-automated computational tool for mechanobiological studies.","authors":"Navajit S Baban, Christopher J Stubbs, Yong-Ak Song","doi":"10.1039/d4lc00843j","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4lc00843j","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soft micropillar arrays enable detailed studies of cellular mechanotransduction and biomechanics using traditional beam-bending models. However, they often rely on simplified assumptions, leading to significant errors in force estimation. We present MechanoBioCAD (MBC), a finite element method (FEM)-based tool designed specifically for micropillar research and error estimation. Unlike traditional methods, MBC leverages the principle of minimizing total potential energy, avoiding errors associated with beam bending assumptions. MBC automates FEM model generation, analysis, and post-processing, providing accurate force quantification based on deflection input. The tool addresses critical issues such as substrate deformation, interpillar interactions, improper load application heights, and nonlinear effects. Applied to fibroblast cell traction and <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> (<i>C. elegans</i>) thrashing cases, MBC recorded 23% and 34% errors in the estimated forces, respectively, compared to traditional methods. As an open-access tool with the Abaqus Student Edition, MBC democratizes rational design, analysis, and error estimation for researchers who are not subject matter experts in FEM.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microvalve-based gradient generators to control flow-free, time zero and long-term conditions.","authors":"Pierre Bohec, Florian Dupuy, Victoria Tishkova, Valentine Seveau de Noray, Marie-Pierre Valignat, Olivier Theodoly","doi":"10.1039/d4lc00901k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4lc00901k","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Experiments with gradients of soluble bioactive species have significantly advanced with microfluidic developments that enable cell observation and stringent control of environmental conditions. While some methodologies rely on flow to establish gradients, others opt for flow-free conditions, which is particularly beneficial for studying non-adherent and/or shear-sensitive cells. In flow-free devices, bioactive species diffuse either through resistive microchannels in microchannel-based devices, through a porous membrane in membrane-based devices, or through a hydrogel in gel-based devices. However, despite significant advancements over traditional methods such as Boyden chambers, these technologies have not been widely disseminated in biological laboratories, arguably due to entrenched practices and the intricate skills required for conducting microfluidic assays. Here, we developed microfluidic platforms integrating barriers with Quake-type pneumatic microvalves in place of microgrooves, membranes, or gels. One set of microvalves is used to maintain flow-free conditions and another set to regulate diffusion between a central channel housing the specimen of interest and sink/source reservoirs. This configuration enables stringent control over residual flows, precise spatial-temporal regulation of gradient formation, and exceptional gradient stability, maintained over extended periods <i>via</i> automated refilling of source and sink reservoirs. The gradient establishment was validated using fluorescent tracers with molar masses of 0.3-40 kDa, while cellular assays demonstrated the chemotactic response of primary human neutrophils swimming toward FMLP. The fabrication of microfluidic devices remains standardly demanding, but experimentation can be fully automated thanks to microvalves, making it accessible to non-expert users. This work presents a robust microfluidic approach for generating tunable gradients with stringent control over flow-free, time-zero, and long-term conditions and its automation and accessibility may promote adoption in academic and biomedical settings especially for non-adherent specimens.</p>","PeriodicalId":85,"journal":{"name":"Lab on a Chip","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603180","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}