Microfluidically-generated Encapsulated Spheroids (μ-GELS): An All-Aqueous Droplet Microfluidics Platform for Multicellular Spheroids Generation.

Spheroids are three-dimensional clusters of cells that serve as in vitro tumor models to recapitulate in vivo morphology. A limitation of many existing on-chip platforms for spheroid formation is the use of cytotoxic organic solvents as the continuous phase in droplet generation processes. All-aqueous methods do not contain cytotoxic organic solvents but have so far been unable to achieve complete hydrogel gelation on chip.

Water-in-water droplet microfluidics: A design manual.

Droplet microfluidics is utilized in a wide range of applications in biomedicine and biology. Applications include rapid biochemical analysis, materials generation, biochemical assays, and point-of-care medicine. The integration of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) into droplet microfluidic platforms has potential utility in oil-free biological and biomedical applications, namely, reducing cytotoxicity and preserving the native form and function of costly biomolecular reagents.

Phase transition modulation and biophysical characterization of biomolecular condensates using microfluidics.

Membraneless organelles (MLOs) formed through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) are becoming increasingly relevant to understanding viral-host interactions, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer. The modulation of LLPS involves many parameters and components. To describe these modulators, typical studies require laborious, manual sample preparation of different concentrations and costly biological reagents.

Lab on a rod: Size-based particle separation and sorting in a helical channel.

Size-based particle separation using inertial microfluidics in spiral channels has been well studied over the past decade. Though these devices can effectively separate particles, they require a relatively large device footprint with a typical outer channel radius of approximately 15 mm. In this paper, we describe a microfluidic device with a footprint diameter of 5.

Magnetic polyelectrolyte microcapsules via water-in-water droplet microfluidics.

Polyelectrolyte microcapsules (PEMCs) have biocompatible microcompartments. Therefore, PEMCs are useful for applications in cosmetics, food, pharmaceutics, and other industries. The fabrication of PEMCs often involves the use of harsh chemicals or cytotoxic organic phases that make biomedical applications of the microcapsules challenging.

Magnetic water-in-water droplet microfluidics: Systematic experiments and scaling mathematical analysis.

A major barrier to the clinical utilization of microfluidically generated water-in-oil droplets is the cumbersome washing steps required to remove the non-biocompatible organic oil phase from the droplets. In this paper, we report an on-chip magnetic water-in-water droplet generation and manipulation platform using a biocompatible aqueous two-phase system of a polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol-polyethylene glycol triblock copolymer (PEG-PPG-PEG) and dextran (DEX), eliminating the need for subsequent washing steps. By careful selection of a ferrofluid that shows an affinity toward the DEX phase (the dispersed phase in our microfluidic device), we generate magnetic DEX droplets in a non-magnetic continuous phase of PEG-PPG-PEG.

AC Electrothermal Effect in Microfluidics: A Review.

The electrothermal effect has been investigated extensively in microfluidics since the 1990s and has been suggested as a promising technique for fluid manipulations in lab-on-a-chip devices. The purpose of this article is to provide a timely overview of the previous works conducted in the AC electrothermal field to provide a comprehensive reference for researchers new to this field. First, electrokinetic phenomena are briefly introduced to show where the electrothermal effect stands, comparatively, versus other mechanisms.

Controlled generation of spiky microparticles by ionic cross-linking within an aqueous two-phase system.

Microparticles are used in a variety of different fields, such as drug delivery. Recently, non-spherical microparticle generation has become desirable. The high surface-to-volume ratio of non-spherical microparticles allows for enhanced targeting, and attachment to cells and tissue.

Microfluidic diamagnetic water-in-water droplets: a biocompatible cell encapsulation and manipulation platform.

Droplet microfluidics enables cellular encapsulation for biomedical applications such as single-cell analysis, which is an important tool used by biologists to study cells on a single-cell level, and understand cellular heterogeneity in cell populations. However, most cell encapsulation strategies in microfluidics rely on random encapsulation processes, resulting in large numbers of empty droplets. Therefore, post-sorting of droplets is necessary to obtain samples of purely cell-encapsulating droplets.

Microfluidic Generation of Particle-Stabilized Water-in-Water Emulsions.

Herein, we present a microfluidic platform that generates particle-stabilized water-in-water emulsions. The water-in-water system that we use is based on an aqueous two-phase system of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dextran (DEX). DEX droplets are formed passively, in the continuous phase of PEG and carboxylated particle suspension at a flow-focusing junction inside a microfluidic device.

Developing Health-Related Indicators of Climate Change: Australian Stakeholder Perspectives.

Climate-related health indicators are potentially useful for tracking and predicting the adverse public health effects of climate change, identifying vulnerable populations, and monitoring interventions. However, there is a need to understand stakeholders' perspectives on the identification, development, and utility of such indicators. A qualitative approach was used, comprising semi-structured interviews with key informants and service providers from government and non-government stakeholder organizations in South Australia.

Coal seam gas water: potential hazards and exposure pathways in Queensland.

The extraction of coal seam gas (CSG) produces large volumes of potentially contaminated water. It has raised concerns about the environmental health impacts of the co-produced CSG water. In this paper, we review CSG water contaminants and their potential health effects in the context of exposure pathways in Queensland's CSG basins.