Gut-liver-axis microphysiological system for studying cellular fluidic shear stress and inter-tissue interaction.

To clarify the physiological and pathological roles of gut-liver-axis (GLA) in the human body, a GLA microphysiological system (GLA-MPS) holds great potential. However, in current GLA-MPSs, the importance of a physiologically relevant flow for gut and liver cells' cultivation is not fully addressed. In addition, the integration of individual organ perfusion, circulation flow, and organ tissue functions in a single device has not been achieved.

Design Approaches and Computational Tools for DNA Nanostructures.

Designing a structure in nanoscale with desired shape and properties has been enabled by structural DNA nanotechnology. Design strategies in this research field have evolved to interpret various aspects of increasingly more complex nanoscale assembly and to realize molecular-level functionality by exploring static to dynamic characteristics of the target structure. Computational tools have naturally been of significant interest as they are essential to achieve a fine control over both shape and physicochemical properties of the structure.

Laser-driven optothermal microactuator operated in water.

This paper proposes and studies the characteristics of a laser-driven optothermal microactuator (OTMA) directly operated in water. A theoretical model of optothermal temperature rise and expansion is established, and simulations on a 1000 µm long OTMA are conducted, revealing that its arm is able to expand and contract in response to the laser pulses in a water environment. Microactuating experiments are further carried out using a microfabricated OTMA.

Investigating the sequence-dependent mechanical properties of DNA nicks for applications in twisted DNA nanostructure design.

DNA nick can be used as a design motif in programming the shape and reconfigurable deformation of synthetic DNA nanostructures, but its mechanical properties have rarely been systematically characterized at the level of base sequences. Here, we investigated sequence-dependent mechanical properties of DNA nicks through molecular dynamics simulation for a comprehensive set of distinct DNA oligomers constructed using all possible base-pair steps with and without a nick. We found that torsional rigidity was reduced by 28-82% at the nick depending on its sequence and location although bending and stretching rigidities remained similar to those of regular base-pair steps.