The β-adrenergic biased agonist nebivolol inhibits the development of Th17 and the response of memory Th17 cells in an NF-κB-dependent manner.

Introduction: Adrenergic receptors regulate metabolic, cardiovascular, and immunological functions in response to the sympathetic nervous system. The effect of β-adrenergic receptor (AR) as a high expression receptor on different subpopulations of T cells is complex and varies depending on the type of ligand and context. While traditional β-AR agonists generally suppress T cells, they potentially enhance IL-17A production by Th17 cells.

An Automated Single-Cell Droplet-Digital Microfluidic Platform for Monoclonal Antibody Discovery.

Monoclonal antibody (mAb) discovery plays a prominent role in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Droplet microfluidics has become a standard technology for high-throughput screening of antibody-producing cells due to high droplet single-cell confinement frequency and rapid analysis and sorting of the cells of interest with their secreted mAbs. In this work, a new method is described for on-demand co-encapsulation of cells that eliminates the difficulties associated with washing in between consecutive steps inside the droplets and enables the washing and addition of fresh media.

An electrochemical aptasensor for Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol detection in saliva on a microfluidic platform.

We present a novel "on-off", cost-effective, rapid electrochemical aptasensor combined with a microfluidics cartridge system for the detection of Δ-THC (Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol) in human saliva via differential pulse voltammetry. The assay relied on the competitive binding between the Δ-THC and a soluble redox indicator methylene blue, using an aptamer selected via FRELEX. We found that the aptasensor can detected 1 nM of Δ-THC in PBS in a three-electrode cell system, while the sensitivity and both the dissociation constant (K) and association constant (K) were dependent on the aptamer density.

Viral Generation, Packaging, and Transduction on a Digital Microfluidic Platform.

Viral-based systems are a popular delivery method for introducing exogenous genetic material into mammalian cells. Unfortunately, the preparation of lentiviruses containing the machinery to edit the cells is labor-intensive, with steps requiring optimization and sensitive handling. To mitigate these challenges, we introduce the first microfluidic method that integrates lentiviral generation, packaging, and transduction.