Reagent storage and delivery on integrated microfluidic chips for point-of-care diagnostics.

Microfluidic-based point-of-care diagnostics offer several unique advantages over existing bioanalytical solutions, such as automation, miniaturisation, and integration of sensors to rapidly detect on-site specific biomarkers. It is important to highlight that a microfluidic POC system needs to perform a number of steps, including sample preparation, nucleic acid extraction, amplification, and detection. Each of these stages involves mixing and elution to go from sample to result.

Sensor-integrated brain-on-a-chip platforms: Improving the predictive validity in neurodegenerative research.

Affecting millions of individuals worldwide, neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) pose a significant and growing health concern in people over the age of 60 years. Contributing to this trend are the steady increase in the aging population coupled with a persistent lack of disease-altering treatment strategies targeting NDDs. The absence of efficient therapeutics can be attributed to high failure rates in clinical trials and the ineptness of animal models in preceding preclinical studies.

A multi-channel microfluidic platform based on human flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 for personalised medicine.

Human flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3) is a drug-metabolizing enzyme (DME) which is known to be highly polymorphic. Some of its polymorphic variants are associated with inter-individual differences that contribute to drug response. In order to measure these differences, the implementation of a quick and efficient assay is highly desirable.

Direct electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide thin film for aptamer-based selective and highly sensitive detection of matrix metalloproteinase 2.

Simple and low-cost biosensing solutions are suitable for point-of-care applications aiming to overcome the gap between scientific concepts and technological production. To compete with sensitivity and selectivity of golden standards, such as liquid chromatography, the functionalization of biosensors is continuously optimized to enhance the signal and improve their performance, often leading to complex chemical assay development. In this research, the efforts are made on optimizing the methodology for electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide to produce thin film-modified gold electrodes.

Development of a Paper-based Hematocrit Test and a Lateral Flow Assay to Detect Critical Fibrinogen Concentrations Using a Bottom-Up Pyramid Workflow Approach.

Fibrinogen is a coagulation factor in human blood and the first one to reach critical levels in major bleeding. Hypofibrinogenemia (a too low fibrinogen concentration in blood) poses great challenges to first responders, clinicians, and healthcare providers since it represents a risk factor for exsanguination and massive transfusion requirements. Thus, the rapid assessment of the fibrinogen concentration at the point of care has gained considerable importance in preventing and managing major blood loss.

Archaeal ether lipids improve internalization and transfection with mRNA lipid nanoparticles.

Neutral and positively charged archaeal ether lipids (AEL) have been studied for their utilization as novel delivery systems for pDNA, showing efficient immune response with a strong memory effect while lacking noticeable toxicity. Recent technological advances placed mRNA lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) at the forefront of next-generation delivery systems; however, no study has examined AELs in mRNA delivery yet. In this study, we investigated either a crude lipid extract or the purified tetraether lipid caldarchaeol from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius as potential novel excipients for mRNA LNPs.

Recombinant Protein L: Production, Purification and Characterization of a Universal Binding Ligand.

Protein L (PpL) is a universal binding ligand that can be used for the detection and purification of antibodies and antibody fragments. Due to the unique interaction with immunoglobulin light chains, it differs from other affinity ligands, like protein A or G. However, due to its current higher market price, PpL is still scarce in applications.

Establishment of a human three-dimensional chip-based chondro-synovial coculture joint model for reciprocal cross talk studies in arthritis research.

Rheumatoid arthritis is characterised by a progressive, intermittent inflammation at the synovial membrane, which ultimately leads to the destruction of the synovial joint. The synovial membrane as the joint capsule's inner layer is lined with fibroblast-like synoviocytes that are the key player supporting persistent arthritis leading to bone erosion and cartilage destruction. While microfluidic models that model molecular aspects of bone erosion between bone-derived cells and synoviocytes have been established, RA's synovial-chondral axis has not yet been realised using a microfluidic 3D model based on human patient cultures.