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Subject: human × Publisher: Cambridge : Royal Society of Chemistry ×

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Tailoring three-dimensional architectures by rolled-up nanotechnology for mimicking microvasculatures
    (Cambridge : Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015) Arayanarakool, Rerngchai; Meyer, Anne K.; Helbig, Linda; Sanchez, Samuel; Schmidt, Oliver G.
    Artificial microvasculature, particularly as part of the blood–brain barrier, has a high benefit for pharmacological drug discovery and uptake regulation. We demonstrate the fabrication of tubular structures with patterns of holes, which are capable of mimicking microvasculatures. By using photolithography, the dimensions of the cylindrical scaffolds can be precisely tuned as well as the alignment and size of holes. Overlapping holes can be tailored to create diverse three-dimensional configurations, for example, periodic nanoscaled apertures. The porous tubes, which can be made from diverse materials for differential functionalization, are biocompatible and can be modified to be biodegradable in the culture medium. As a proof of concept, endothelial cells (ECs) as well as astrocytes were cultured on these scaffolds. They form monolayers along the scaffolds, are guided by the array of holes and express tight junctions. Nanoscaled filaments of cells on these scaffolds were visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This work provides the basic concept mainly for an in vitro model of microvasculature which could also be possibly implanted in vivo due to its biodegradability.
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    Thermal activation of catalytic microjets in blood samples using microfluidic chips
    (Cambridge : Royal Society of Chemistry, 2013) Restrepo-Pérez, Laura; Soler, Lluís; Martínez-Cisneros, Cynthia S.; Sanchez, Samuel; Schmidt, Oliver G.
    We demonstrate that catalytic microjet engines can out-swim high complex media composed of red blood cells and serum. Despite the challenge presented by the high viscosity of the solution at room temperature, the catalytic microjets can be activated at physiological temperature and, consequently, self-propel in diluted solutions of blood samples. We prove that these microjets self-propel in 10× diluted blood samples using microfluidic chips.
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    Stimuli-responsive nanogel composites and their application in nanomedicine
    (Cambridge : Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015) Molina, Maria; Asadian-Birjand, Mazdak; Balach, Juan; Bergueiro, Julian; Miceli, Enrico; Calderón, Marcelo
    Nanogels are nanosized crosslinked polymer networks capable of absorbing large quantities of water. Specifically, smart nanogels are interesting because of their ability to respond to biomedically relevant changes like pH, temperature, etc. In the last few decades, hybrid nanogels or composites have been developed to overcome the ever increasing demand for new materials in this field. In this context, a hybrid refers to nanogels combined with different polymers and/or with nanoparticles such as plasmonic, magnetic, and carbonaceous nanoparticles, among others. Research activities are focused nowadays on using multifunctional hybrid nanogels in nanomedicine, not only as drug carriers but also as imaging and theranostic agents. In this review, we will describe nanogels, particularly in the form of composites or hybrids applied in nanomedicine.
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    High spatial and temporal resolution cell manipulation techniques in microchannels
    (Cambridge : Royal Society of Chemistry, 2016) Novo, Pedro; Dell’Aica, Margherita; Janasek, Dirk; Zahedi, René P.
    The advent of microfluidics has enabled thorough control of cell manipulation experiments in so called lab on chips. Lab on chips foster the integration of actuation and detection systems, and require minute sample and reagent amounts. Typically employed microfluidic structures have similar dimensions as cells, enabling precise spatial and temporal control of individual cells and their local environments. Several strategies for high spatio-temporal control of cells in microfluidics have been reported in recent years, namely methods relying on careful design of the microfluidic structures (e.g. pinched flow), by integration of actuators (e.g. electrodes or magnets for dielectro-, acousto- and magneto-phoresis), or integrations thereof. This review presents the recent developments of cell experiments in microfluidics divided into two parts: an introduction to spatial control of cells in microchannels followed by special emphasis in the high temporal control of cell-stimulus reaction and quenching. In the end, the present state of the art is discussed in line with future perspectives and challenges for translating these devices into routine applications.