118 research outputs found
Microfluidics for microalgal biotechnology
No full textOzdalgic, Berin/0000-0003-0113-541X; Kiraz, Alper/0000-0001-7977-1286; Ustun, Merve/0000-0002-3883-4065; Tasoglu, Savas/0000-0003-4604-217X; Haznedaroglu, Berat Zeki/0000-0002-0081-8801; Rahmani Dabbagh, Sajjad/0000-0001-8888-6106Microalgae have expanded their roles as renewable and sustainable feedstocks for biofuel, smart nutrition, biopharmaceutical, cosmeceutical, biosensing, and space technologies. They accumulate valuable biochemical compounds from protein, carbohydrate, and lipid groups, including pigments and carotenoids. Microalgal biomass, which can be adopted for multivalorization under biorefinery settings, allows not only the production of various biofuels but also other value-added biotechnological products. However, state-of-the-art technologies are required to optimize yield, quality, and the economical aspects of both upstream and downstream processes. As such, the need to use microfluidic-based devices for both fundamental research and industrial applications of microalgae, arises due to their microscale sizes and dilute cultures. Microfluidics-based devices are superior to their competitors through their ability to perform multiple functions such as sorting and analyzing small amounts of samples (nanoliter to picoliter) with higher sensitivities. Here, we review emerging applications of microfluidic technologies on microalgal processes in cell sorting, cultivation, harvesting, and applications in biofuels, biosensing, drug delivery, and nutrition.Alexander von Humboldt-StiftungAlexander von Humboldt Foundation; Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship award [101003361]; Royal Academy Newton-Katip Celebi Transforming Systems Through Partnership Award [120N019]; TUBITAK 2232 International Fellowship for Outstanding Researchers AwardTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [118C391]Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, Grant/Award Number: Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers; Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship award, Grant/Award Number: 101003361; Royal Academy Newton-Katip Celebi Transforming Systems Through Partnership Award, Grant/Award Number: 120N019; TUBITAK 2232 International Fellowship for Outstanding Researchers Award, Grant/Award Number: 118C39
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Transport phenomena and pharmacokinetics of anti-HIV microbicide drug delivery
No full textMicrobicides are agents that can be applied to vaginal mucosal surfaces with the goal of blocking the transmission of sexually transmitted pathogens including HIV. They can be formulated in various delivery vehicles, including gels, creams, lotions, tablets or films. A recent study in South Africa has confirmed, for the first time, that a vaginal gel formulation of the antiretroviral drug Tenofovir, when topically applied, significantly inhibits sexual HIV transmission to women. However the gel for this drug, and anti-HIV microbicide vehicles in general, have not been designed using an understanding of how their spreading and retention in the vagina govern successful drug delivery. Elastohydrodynamic lubrication theory can be applied to model spreading of microbicide gels and films. This should incorporate the full rheological behavior, including how rheological properties change due to contact with, and dilution by, ambient vaginal fluids. A Carreau-like non-Newtonian model is adopted as a rheological model. The effects of three important factors, i.e., dilution by vaginal fluid, a yield stress of the gel and swelling, are investigated. Dilution accelerates the coating flow by creating a slippery region near the vaginal wall akin to a dilution boundary layer. The concept of a yield stress fluid is attractive because such a material may tend to stay in place after coating vulnerable surfaces. We show that the lubrication approximation, which eases the efforts of design, may be applied to the elastic wall-squeezing problem for a prototype gel with yield stress. For the important presence of significant swelling of the gel by absorption of vaginal fluid, the model indicates more rapid coating. Then we study films that can be preferable over gels due to several reasons in many parts of the world. A model is developed for transient swelling and spreading of a film, and subsequent distribution of an active drug throughout the vaginal lumen. We investigate the effects of combination of many factors.The theory developed here improves our understanding of the biophysics of microbicide gel and film flows in vivo. Ultimately, this dissertation contributes to a methodology that provides objective evaluations of microbicide gel and film performance and in the design of new, improved vehicles
3D Printing for Drug Manufacturing: A Perspective on the Future of Pharmaceuticals
No full textSince a three-dimensional (3D) printed drug was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2015, there has been a growing interest in 3D printing for drug manufacturing. There are multiple 3D printing methods – including selective laser sintering, binder deposition, stereolithography, inkjet printing, extrusion-based printing, and fused deposition modeling – which are compatible with printing drug products, in addition to both polymer filaments and hydrogels as materials for drug carriers. We see the adaptability of 3D printing as a revolutionary force in the pharmaceutical industry. Release characteristics of drugs may be controlled by complex 3D printed geometries and architectures. Precise and unique doses can be engineered and fabricated via 3D printing according to individual prescriptions. On-demand printing of drug products can be implemented for drugs with limited shelf life or for patient-specific medications, offering an alternative to traditional compounding pharmacies. For these reasons, 3D printing for drug manufacturing is the future of pharmaceuticals, making personalized medicine possible while also transforming pharmacies.</jats:p
A Hybrid Approach for Large-scale Fabrication of Paper-based Electrochemical Assays for Biomedical Diagnosis
No full textImpedimetric antimicrobial peptide biosensor for the detection of human immunodeficiency virus envelope protein gp120
No full textSummary: This study presents the design and implementation of an antimicrobial peptide-based electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) based biosensor system. The biosensor consists of a gold coated carbon electrode with MXene and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for the label-free detection of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope protein gp120. Scanning electron microscopy was used to confirm the presence and distribution of MXene and AgNPs on the biosensor surface. The employment of the antimicrobial peptide on the electrode surface minimized the denaturation of the biorecognition receptor to ensure reliable and stable performance. The biosensor exhibited a linear range of 10–4000 pg mL-1 for gp120 detection, demonstrating good repeatability in real samples. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were also calculated as 0.05 pg mL−1 and 0.14 pg mL−1, respectively. This biosensing platform has promising applications in the detection of HIV in clinical and point-of-care settings
Impact and Spreading of a Microdroplet on a Solid Wall
No full textImpact and spreading of a viscous micro droplet on dry solid surfaces are studied computationally using a finite-difference/front-tracking method. The problem is motivated by single cell epitaxy developed for printing biological cells on a solid substrate using ink-jet printer technology. In this study, we consider impact and spreading of a simple droplet on a partially wetting substrate as a first step in developing a complete compound droplet model for the single cell epitaxi. The numerical method is general and can treat non-wetting, partially wetting and fully wetting cases but the focus here is placed on partially wetting substrates. The contact angle is specified dynamically using the empirical correlation given by Kistler (1993). In addition, a precursive film model is also used especially for the highly wettable cases, i.e., the static contact angle is smaller than 30° due to numerical difficulty of resolving thin liquid later penetrating into surrounding gas near the solid surface. The numerical method is first applied to simple droplet spreading and the results are compared with experimental data of Sikalo et al. (2005). Then the effects of governing non-dimensional numbers on the spreading rate, apparent contact angle and deformation of the droplet are investigated. Finally a few preliminary results are presented for the impact and spreading of a compound microdroplet on a partially wetting surface.</jats:p
Editorial for the Special Issue on 3D Printed Microfluidic Devices
No full textThree-dimensional (3D) printing has revolutionized the microfabrication prototyping workflow over the past few years. [...
Emerging Anti-Fouling Methods: Towards Reusability of 3D-Printed Devices for Biomedical Applications
No full textMicrofluidic devices are used in a myriad of biomedical applications such as cancer screening, drug testing, and point-of-care diagnostics. Three-dimensional (3D) printing offers a low-cost, rapid prototyping, efficient fabrication method, as compared to the costly—in terms of time, labor, and resources—traditional fabrication method of soft lithography of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). Various 3D printing methods are applicable, including fused deposition modeling, stereolithography, and photopolymer inkjet printing. Additionally, several materials are available that have low-viscosity in their raw form and, after printing and curing, exhibit high material strength, optical transparency, and biocompatibility. These features make 3D-printed microfluidic chips ideal for biomedical applications. However, for developing devices capable of long-term use, fouling—by nonspecific protein absorption and bacterial adhesion due to the intrinsic hydrophobicity of most 3D-printed materials—presents a barrier to reusability. For this reason, there is a growing interest in anti-fouling methods and materials. Traditional and emerging approaches to anti-fouling are presented in regard to their applicability to microfluidic chips, with a particular interest in approaches compatible with 3D-printed chips
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