Modulating SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Reactivity through Moderate Electric Fields: A Pathway to Innovative Therapies.

In the quest for effective COVID-19 treatments and vaccines, traditional biochemical methods have been paramount, yet the challenge of accommodating diverse viral mutants persists. Recent simulations propose an innovative physical strategy involving an external electric field applied to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, demonstrating a reduced viral binding potential. However, limited empirical knowledge exists regarding the characteristics of the spike protein after E-field treatment.

High-frequency Contactless Sensor for the Detection of Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia Antibodies via Platelet Aggregation.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), a severe autoimmune disorder, occurs in patients undergoing heparin therapy. The presence of platelet-activating antibodies against platelet factor 4/Heparin in the blood confirms patients suffering from HIT. The most widely used methods for HIT diagnosis are immunoassays but the results only suit to rule out HIT as the assays provide only around 50% specificity.

Label-Free Detection and Characterization of Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT)-like Antibodies.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) antibodies (Abs) can mediate and activate blood cells, forming blood clots. To detect HIT Abs, immunological assays with high sensitivity (≥95%) and fast response are widely used, but only about 50% of these tests are accurate as non-HIT Abs also bind to the same antigens. We aim to develop biosensor-based electrical detection to better differentiate HIT-like from non-HIT-like Abs.

Non-linearity and dynamics of low-voltage electrowetting and dewetting.

As an electrically controllable wetting effect, electrowetting on dielectrics (EWOD) is applied in diverse fields including optics, display technology and lab-on-a-chip systems. For the further development of EWOD applications, the reduction of the operation voltage is an essential issue. Recently, a low-voltage EWOD system with a threshold of 2 V was developed.

Energy-efficient biomass processing with pulsed electric fields for bioeconomy and sustainable development.

Fossil resources-free sustainable development can be achieved through a transition to bioeconomy, an economy based on sustainable biomass-derived food, feed, chemicals, materials, and fuels. However, the transition to bioeconomy requires development of new energy-efficient technologies and processes to manipulate biomass feed stocks and their conversion into useful products, a collective term for which is biorefinery. One of the technological platforms that will enable various pathways of biomass conversion is based on pulsed electric fields applications (PEF).

Measurement and simulation of Joule heating during treatment of B-16 melanoma tumors in mice with nanosecond pulsed electric fields.

Experimental evidence shows that nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEF) trigger apoptosis in skin tumors. We have postulated that the energy delivered by nsPEF is insufficient to impart significant heating to the treated tissue. Here we use both direct measurements and theoretical modeling of the Joule heating in order to validate this assumption.

Light-emitting diodes in modern microscopy--from David to Goliath?

Proper illumination is essential for light microscopy. Whereas in early years incandescent light was the only illumination, today, more and more specialized light sources, such as lasers or arc lamps are used. Because of the high efficiency and brightness that light-emitting diodes (LED) have reached today, they have become a serious alternative for almost all kinds of illumination in light microscopy.

Front end with offset-free symmetrical current source optimized for time domain impedance spectroscopy.

Fast impedance measurements are often performed in time domain utilizing broad bandwidth excitation signals. Other than in frequency domain measurements harmonic distortion cannot be compensated which requires careful design of the analog front end. In order to minimize the influence of electrode polarization and noise, especially in low-frequency measurements, current injection shows several advantages compared to voltage application.

Plasma membrane charging of Jurkat cells by nanosecond pulsed electric fields.

The initial effect of nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) on cells is a change of charge distributions along membranes. This first response is observed as a sudden shift in the plasma transmembrane potential that is faster than can be attributed to any physiological event. These immediate, yet transient, effects are only measurable if the diagnostic is faster than the exposure, i.

A new vagal anchor electrode for real-time monitoring of the recurrent laryngeal nerve.

Background: Despite conventional neuromonitoring, the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) is still at risk for damage during thyroid surgery. The feasibility of continuous RLN monitoring by vagal nerve (VN) stimulation with a new anchor electrode should be shown, and electromyographic signal alterations of stressed RLN were analyzed to be alerted to imminent nerve failure whereby the nerve damage becomes reversible.

Methods: VN stimulation was achieved in 23 pigs.

A propagating heat wave model of skin electroporation.

The main barrier to transdermal drug delivery in human skin is the stratum corneum. Pulsed electric fields (PEFs) of sufficient amplitude can create new aqueous pathways across this barrier and enhance drug delivery through the skin. Here, we describe a model of pore formation between adjacent corneocytes that predicts the following sequence of events: (1) the PEF rapidly charges the stratum corneum near the electrode until the transepidermal potential difference is large enough to drive water into a small region of the stratum corneum, creating new aqueous pathways.

Feasibility of an electrode-reservoir device for transdermal drug delivery by noninvasive skin electroporation.

Electrical creation of aqueous pathways across the skin's outer layer [stratum corneum (SC)] provides an approach to transdermal delivery of medium-size water-soluble compounds. However, nerve stimulation should be avoided. Here, we show that a microstructured electrode array can significantly confine the electric field to the nerve-free SC.

Nonlinear current-voltage relationship of the plasma membrane of single CHO cells.

The application of electric field pulses to Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells causes membrane electroporation (MEP). If a voltage or current ramp is applied to the cellular membrane of a single CHO cell, the membrane conductance increases nonlinearly with field strength reaching saturation. In particular, the kinetics of the induced conductance changes represents the data basis for the interpretation in terms of underlying structural changes.

Nanosecond pulsed electric fields cause melanomas to self-destruct.

We have discovered a new, drug-free therapy for treating solid skin tumors. Pulsed electric fields greater than 20 kV/cm with rise times of 30 ns and durations of 300 ns penetrate into the interior of tumor cells and cause tumor cell nuclei to rapidly shrink and tumor blood flow to stop. Melanomas shrink by 90% within two weeks following a cumulative field exposure time of 120 micros.

Tumor regression by combination antisense therapy against Plk1 and Bcl-2.

Increased expression of the cell proliferation-associated polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) and apoptosis-associated BCL-2 genes has been observed in different human malignancies. Inhibition of cell proliferation and reactivation of apoptosis are basic principles in anticancer therapy. The efficiency of this approach is often limited by insuf-ficient targeting and delivery of anticancer drugs into the tumors.

Kinetics of the temperature rise within human stratum corneum during electroporation and pulsed high-voltage iontophoresis.

Electroporation is believed to be a nonthermal phenomenon at the membrane level. However, the effects of associated processes, such as Joule heating, should be considered. Because electroporation of skin, specifically the stratum corneum (SC), occurs at highly localized sites, the heating is expected to conform locally to the sites of electroporation.

Theoretical analysis of localized heating in human skin subjected to high voltage pulses.

Electroporation, the increase in the permeability of bilayer lipid membranes by the application of high voltage pulses, has the potential to serve as a mechanism for transdermal drug delivery. However, the associated current flow through the skin will increase the skin temperature and might affect nearby epidermal cells, lipid structure or even transported therapeutic molecules. Here, thermal conduction and thermal convection models are used to provide upper and lower bounds on the local temperature rise, as well as the thermal damage, during electroporation from exponential voltage pulses (70 V maximum) with a 1 ms and a 10 ms pulse time constant.