Microsystems for Bio Applications

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2018) | Viewed by 17978

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microsystems have extensive applications in biological sciences, from diagnosis to prognosis to characterization. Microsystems, whether lab-on-a-chip or micro total analysis systems or chips with moving structures, have been contributing to the field of bio application, from the protein level to the tissue level to the organism level, in, not only understanding the fundamentals of the interdisciplinarity between engineering and bio science, but also in applying the basic principles for realizing useful devices for various bio applications, such as assays, cellular manipulations and characterization, organs-on-a-chip, bio diagnosis and prognosis, and sensing. Microsystems for bio applications also involves integration of many elements, such as microfluidics, microphotonics, nano materials and structures, and various actuation and sensing mechanisms. This Special Issue will address challenges involved with modeling, fabrication, integration and application of specific issues when microsystems are designed for bio applications.

Prof. Muthukumaran Packirisamy
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Lab-on-a-chip
  • Bio Microfluidics
  • Microfluidics
  • BioMEMS
  • Micro Total Analysis Systems
  • Novel Microfabrication Methods
  • Integration of Microsystems for Bio Applications
  • Micro-Nano Integration
  • Bio Microsystems

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 2515 KiB  
Article
Erythrocyte Membrane Failure by Electromechanical Stress
by E Du, Yuhao Qiang and Jia Liu
Appl. Sci. 2018, 8(2), 174; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app8020174 - 25 Jan 2018
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3906
Abstract
We envision that electrodeformation of biological cells through dielectrophoresis as a new technique to elucidate the mechanistic details underlying membrane failure by electrical and mechanical stresses. Here we demonstrate the full control of cellular uniaxial deformation and tensile recovery in biological cells via [...] Read more.
We envision that electrodeformation of biological cells through dielectrophoresis as a new technique to elucidate the mechanistic details underlying membrane failure by electrical and mechanical stresses. Here we demonstrate the full control of cellular uniaxial deformation and tensile recovery in biological cells via amplitude-modified electric field at radio frequency by an interdigitated electrode array in microfluidics. Transient creep and cyclic experiments were performed on individually tracked human erythrocytes. Observations of the viscoelastic-to-viscoplastic deformation behavior and the localized plastic deformations in erythrocyte membranes suggest that electromechanical stress results in irreversible membrane failure. Examples of membrane failure can be separated into different groups according to the loading scenarios: mechanical stiffening, physical damage, morphological transformation from discocyte to echinocyte, and whole cell lysis. These results show that this technique can be potentially utilized to explore membrane failure in erythrocytes affected by other pathophysiological processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microsystems for Bio Applications)
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2518 KiB  
Article
Elution of Artificial Sputum from Swab by Rotating Magnetic Field-Induced Mechanical Impingement
by Shubham Banik, James Mahony and P. Ravi Selvaganapathy
Appl. Sci. 2017, 7(12), 1255; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app7121255 - 03 Dec 2017
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3682
Abstract
Cotton-tipped applicator swabs are used as a collection device for many biological samples and its complete elution is a desired step for clinical and forensic diagnostics. Swabs are used to collect infectious body fluids, where the concentration of pathogens can range from 1 [...] Read more.
Cotton-tipped applicator swabs are used as a collection device for many biological samples and its complete elution is a desired step for clinical and forensic diagnostics. Swabs are used to collect infectious body fluids, where the concentration of pathogens can range from 1 × 104 CFU/mL (colony forming units/mL) in respiratory-tract infections and 1 × 105 in urinary-tract infections, to up to 1 × 109 CFU/mL in salivary samples. These samples are then eluted and lysed, prior to DNA (De-oxy Ribonucleic Acid) analysis. The recovery of micro-organisms from a matrix of swab fibres depends on the nature of the body fluid, the type of the swab fibres, and the process of elution. Various methods to elute samples from swab include chemical digestion of fibres (~20% recovery), centrifugation (~58% recovery), piezoelectric vibration, or pressurized fluid-flow (~60% recovery). This study reports a magnetically-actuated physical impingement method for elution and recovery of artificial sputum samples from cotton fibres. A device has been fabricated to induce a rotating magnetic field on smaller magnetic particles in a vial that strikes the swab within a confined gap. Elution from the swab in this device was characterized using 2% Methyl cellulose in deionised water, loaded with fluorescent-tagged polystyrene beads and E. coli at various concentrations. The recovery efficiency was found to increase with both rotational speed and elution time, but plateaus after 400 RPM (Revolutions per minute) and 120 s, respectively. At a higher concentration of polystyrene beads (5 × 108 particles/mL), a maximum recovery of ~85% was achieved. With lower concentration, (1 × 105 particles/mL) the maximum efficiency (~92.8%) was found to be almost twice of passive elution (46.7%). In the case of E. coli, the corresponding recovery efficiency at 3.35 × 105 CFU/mL is 90.4% at 500 RPM and 120 s. This elution method is expected to have a wide applicability in clinical diagnostics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microsystems for Bio Applications)
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2960 KiB  
Article
Femtosecond Laser-Inscripted Direct Ultrafast Fabrication of a DNA Distributor Using Microfluidics
by Hojun Shin, Hyojae Kim, Yeongseok Jang, Jinmu Jung and Jonghyun Oh
Appl. Sci. 2017, 7(10), 1083; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app7101083 - 19 Oct 2017
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3898
Abstract
A femtosecond laser can be used for single or multiple writing processes to create sub 10-μm lines or holes directly without the use of masks. In this study, we characterized the depth and width of micro-channels created by femtosecond laser micro-scribing in polydimethylsiloxane [...] Read more.
A femtosecond laser can be used for single or multiple writing processes to create sub 10-μm lines or holes directly without the use of masks. In this study, we characterized the depth and width of micro-channels created by femtosecond laser micro-scribing in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) under various energy doses (1%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) and laser beam passes (5, 10 and 15). Based on a microfluidic simulation in a bio-application, a DNA distributor was designed and fabricated based on an energy dose of 5% and a laser beam pass of 5. The simulated depth and width of the micro-channels was 3.58 and 5.27 μm, respectively. The depth and width of the micro-channels were linearly proportional to the energy dose and the number of laser beam passes. In a DNA distribution experiment, a brighter fluorescent intensity for YOYO-1 Iodide with DNA was observed in the middle channels with longer DNA. In addition, the velocity was the lowest as estimated in the computational simulation. The polymer processability of the femtosecond laser and the bio-applicability of the DNA distributor were successfully confirmed. Therefore, a promising technique for the maskless fabrication of sub 10-μm bio-microfluidic channels was demonstrated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microsystems for Bio Applications)
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2440 KiB  
Article
3D Suspended Polymeric Microfluidics (SPMF3) with Flow Orthogonal to Bending (FOB) for Fluid Analysis through Kinematic Viscosity
by Mostapha Marzban, Muthukumaran Packirisamy and Javad Dargahi
Appl. Sci. 2017, 7(10), 1048; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app7101048 - 13 Oct 2017
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5818
Abstract
Measuring of fluid properties such as dynamic viscosity and density has tremendous potential for various applications from physical to biological to chemical sensing. However, it is almost impossible to affect only one of these properties, as dynamic viscosity and density are coupled. Hence, [...] Read more.
Measuring of fluid properties such as dynamic viscosity and density has tremendous potential for various applications from physical to biological to chemical sensing. However, it is almost impossible to affect only one of these properties, as dynamic viscosity and density are coupled. Hence, this paper proposes kinematic viscosity as a comprehensive parameter which can be used to study the effect of fluid properties applicable to various fluids from Newtonian fluids, such as water, to non-Newtonian fluids, such as blood. This paper also proposes an ideal microplatform, namely polymeric suspended microfluidics (SPMF3), with flow plane orthogonal to the bending plane of the structure, along with tested results of various fluids covering a wide range of engineering applications. Kinematic viscosity, also called momentum diffusivity, considers changes in both fluid intermolecular forces and molecular inertia that define dynamic viscosity and fluid density, respectively. In this study a 3D suspended polymeric microfluidic system (SPMF3) was employed to detect changes in fluid parameters such as dynamic viscosity and density during fluid processes. Using this innovative design along with theoretical and experimental results, it is shown that, in fluids, the variations of fluid density and dynamic viscosity are not easily comprehensible due to their interconnectivity. Since any change in a fluid will affect both density and dynamic viscosity, measuring both of them is necessary to identify the fluid or process status. Finally, changes in fluid properties were analyzed using simulation and experiments. The experimental results with salt-DI water solution and milk with different fat concentrations as a colloidal fluid show that kinematic viscosity is a comprehensive parameter that can identify the fluids in a unique way using the proposed microplatform. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microsystems for Bio Applications)
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