A portable and integrated instrument for cell manipulation by dielectrophoresis.

The physical manipulation of biological cells is a key point in the development of miniaturized systems for point-of-care analyses. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) has been reported by several laboratories as a promising method in biomedical research for label-free cell manipulation without physical contact, by exploiting the dielectric properties of cells suspended in a microfluidic sample, under the action of high-gradient electric fields. In view of a more extended use of DEP phenomena in lab-on-chip devices for point-of-care settings, we have developed a portable instrument, integrating on the same device the microfluidic biochip for cell manipulation and all the laboratory functions (i.

Isolation of Langerhans islets by dielectrophoresis.

The purification of Langerhans islets from fragments of pancreatic exocrine tissue is a critical stage for the further transplantation of insulin secreting islets in patients affected by type I diabetes. Aim of our work was the evaluation of dielectrophoresis as a promising method for pancreatic islets isolation without physical contact in miniaturized lab-on-chip devices. DEP exploits the dielectric properties of particles suspended in a fluid, in a region where the amplitude of the electric field is characterized by a high gradient.

Point-of-care systems for rapid DNA quantification in oncology.

The development of new powerful applications and the improvement in fabrication techniques are promising an explosive growth in lab-on-chip use in the upcoming future. As the demand reaches significant levels, the semiconductor industry may enter in the field, bringing its capability to produce complex devices in large volumes, high quality and low cost. The lab-on-chip concept, when applied to medicine, leads to the point-of-care concept, where simple, compact and cheap instruments allow diagnostic assays to be performed quickly by untrained personnel directly at the patient's side.

A Web-based multi-database system supporting distributed collaborative management and sharing of microarray experiment information.

We developed MicroGen, a multi-database Web based system for managing all the information characterizing spotted microarray experiments. It supports information gathering and storing according to the Minimum Information About Microarray Experiments (MIAME) standard. It also allows easy sharing of information and data among all multidisciplinary actors involved in spotted microarray experiments.

MicroGen: a MIAME compliant web system for microarray experiment information and workflow management.

Background: Improvements of bio-nano-technologies and biomolecular techniques have led to increasing production of high-throughput experimental data. Spotted cDNA microarray is one of the most diffuse technologies, used in single research laboratories and in biotechnology service facilities. Although they are routinely performed, spotted microarray experiments are complex procedures entailing several experimental steps and actors with different technical skills and roles.