Porous Polymeric Nanofilms for Recreating the Basement Membrane in an Endothelial Barrier-on-Chip.

Organs-on-chips (OoCs) support an organotypic human cell culture . Precise representation of basement membranes (BMs) is critical for mimicking physiological functions of tissue interfaces. Artificial membranes in polyester (PES) and polycarbonate (PC) commonly used in models and OoCs do not replicate the characteristics of the natural BMs, such as submicrometric thickness, selective permeability, and elasticity.

Embracing Mechanobiology in Next Generation Organ-On-A-Chip Models of Bone Metastasis.

Bone metastasis in breast cancer is associated with high mortality. Biomechanical cues presented by the extracellular matrix play a vital role in driving cancer metastasis. The lack of models that recapitulate the mechanical aspects of the microenvironment hinders the development of novel targeted therapies.

Probing morphological, genetic and metabolomic changes of in vitro embryo development in a microfluidic device.

Assisted reproduction technologies for clinical and research purposes rely on a brief in vitro embryo culture which, despite decades of progress, remain suboptimal in comparison to the physiological environment. One promising tool to improve this technique is the development of bespoke microfluidic chambers. Here we present and validate a new microfluidic device in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for the culture of early mouse embryos.

Metabolomic Analysis Evidences That Uterine Epithelial Cells Enhance Blastocyst Development in a Microfluidic Device.

Here we report the use of a microfluidic system to assess the differential metabolomics of murine embryos cultured with endometrial cells-conditioned media (CM). Groups of 10, 1-cell murine B6C3F1 × B6D2F1 embryos were cultured in the microfluidic device. To produce CM, mouse uterine epithelial cells were cultured in potassium simplex optimized medium (KSOM) for 24 h.

Translational Roadmap for the Organs-on-a-Chip Industry toward Broad Adoption.

Organs-on-a-Chip (OOAC) is a disruptive technology with widely recognized potential to change the efficiency, effectiveness, and costs of the drug discovery process; to advance insights into human biology; to enable clinical research where human trials are not feasible. However, further development is needed for the successful adoption and acceptance of this technology. Areas for improvement include technological maturity, more robust validation of translational and predictive in vivo-like biology, and requirements of tighter quality standards for commercial viability.

Leveraging bioengineering to assess cellular functions and communication within human fetal membranes.

The fetal membranes enclose the growing fetus and amniotic fluid. Preterm prelabor rupture of fetal membranes is a leading cause of preterm birth. Fetal membranes are composed of many different cell types, both structural and immune.

Polylactic is a Sustainable, Low Absorption, Low Autofluorescence Alternative to Other Plastics for Microfluidic and Organ-on-Chip Applications.

Organ-on-chip (OOC) devices are miniaturized devices replacing animal models in drug discovery and toxicology studies. The majority of OOC devices are made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), an elastomer widely used in microfluidic prototyping, but posing a number of challenges to experimentalists, including leaching of uncured oligomers and uncontrolled absorption of small compounds. Here we assess the suitability of polylactic acid (PLA) as a replacement material to PDMS for microfluidic cell culture and OOC applications.

Potential of Manuka Honey as a Natural Polyelectrolyte to Develop Biomimetic Nanostructured Meshes With Antimicrobial Properties.

The use of antibiotics has been the cornerstone to prevent bacterial infections; however, the emergency of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is still an open challenge. This work aimed to develop a delivery system for treating soft tissue infections for: (1) reducing the released antimicrobial amount, preventing drug-related systemic side effects; (2) rediscovering the beneficial effects of naturally derived agents; and (3) preserving the substrate functional properties. For the first time, Manuka honey (MH) was proposed as polyelectrolyte within the layer-by-layer assembly.

Remote heart rate monitoring - Assessment of the Facereader rPPg by Noldus.

Remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) allows contactless monitoring of human cardiac activity through a video camera. In this study, we assessed the accuracy and precision for heart rate measurements of the only consumer product available on the market, namely the FacereaderTM rPPG by Noldus, with respect to a gold standard electrocardiograph. Twenty-four healthy participants were asked to sit in front of a computer screen and alternate two periods of rest with two stress tests (i.

Organs-On-Chip Models of the Female Reproductive System.

Microfluidic-based technology attracts great interest in cell biology and medicine, in virtue of the ability to better mimic the in vivo cell microenvironment compared to conventional macroscale cell culture platforms. Recent Organs-on-chip (OoC) models allow to reproduce in vitro tissue and organ-level functions of living organs and systems. These models have been applied for the study of specific functions of the female reproductive tract, which is composed of several organs interconnected through intricate endocrine pathways and communication mechanisms.

Assessment of the Fitbit Charge 2 for monitoring heart rate.

Fitness trackers are devices or applications for monitoring and tracking fitness-related metrics such as distance walked or run, calorie consumption, quality of sleep and heart rate. Since accurate heart rate monitoring is essential in fitness training, the objective of this study was to assess the accuracy and precision of the Fitbit Charge 2 for measuring heart rate with respect to a gold standard electrocardiograph. Fifteen healthy participants were asked to ride a stationary bike for 10 minutes and their heart rate was simultaneously recorded from each device.

Instrumenting a Fetal Membrane on a Chip as Emerging Technology for Preterm Birth Research.

Preterm birth (PTB) is clinically defined as process of giving birth before 37 weeks of gestation and is a leading cause of death among neonates and children under the age of five. Prematurity remains a critical issue in developed countries, yet our understanding of the pathophysiology of PTB remains largely unknown. Among pregnancy complications, subclinical infections such as chorioamnionitis (CAM) are implicated in up to 70% of PTB cases.

On the injectability of free-standing magnetic nanofilms.

Free-standing films with sub-micrometric thickness, composed of soft polymers and functional nanostructures are promising candidates for many potential applications in the biomedical field, such as reduced port abdominal surgery. In this work, freely suspended poly(L-lactic acid) nanofilms with controlled morphology embedding superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were fabricated by spin-coating deposition. The mechanical properties of magnetic nanofilms were investigated by Strain-Induced Elastic Buckling Instability for Mechanical Measurements (SIEBIMM) test.

Compartmentalized Culture of Perivascular Stroma and Endothelial Cells in a Microfluidic Model of the Human Endometrium.

The endometrium is the inner lining of the uterus. Following specific cyclic hormonal stimulation, endometrial stromal fibroblasts (stroma) and vascular endothelial cells exhibit morphological and biochemical changes to support embryo implantation and regulate vascular function, respectively. Herein, we integrated a resin-based porous membrane in a dual chamber microfluidic device in polydimethylsiloxane that allows long term in vitro co-culture of human endometrial stromal and endothelial cells.

Ultrathin Polymer Membranes with Patterned, Micrometric Pores for Organs-on-Chips.

The basal lamina or basement membrane (BM) is a key physiological system that participates in physicochemical signaling between tissue types. Its formation and function are essential in tissue maintenance, growth, angiogenesis, disease progression, and immunology. In vitro models of the BM (e.

Exposure to the environmental endocrine disruptor TCDD and human reproductive dysfunction: Translating lessons from murine models.

Humans and other animals are exposed to a wide array of man-made toxicants, many of which act as endocrine disruptors that exhibit differential effects across the lifespan. In humans, while the impact of adult exposure is known for some compounds, the potential consequences of developmental exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is more difficult to ascertain. Animal studies have revealed that exposure to EDCs prior to puberty can lead to adult reproductive disease and dysfunction.

Recreating blood-brain barrier physiology and structure on chip: A novel neurovascular microfluidic bioreactor.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a critical structure that serves as the gatekeeper between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. It is the responsibility of the BBB to facilitate the entry of required nutrients into the brain and to exclude potentially harmful compounds; however, this complex structure has remained difficult to model faithfully in vitro. Accurate in vitro models are necessary for understanding how the BBB forms and functions, as well as for evaluating drug and toxin penetration across the barrier.

Repairing Fetal Membranes with a Self-adhesive Ultrathin Polymeric Film: Evaluation in Mid-gestational Rabbit Model.

Preterm premature rupture of membranes causes 40% of all preterm births, affecting 150000 women each year in the United States. Prenatal diagnostic procedures and surgical interventions increase incidence of adverse events, leading to iatrogenic membrane rupture after a fetoscopic procedure in 45% of cases. We propose an ultrathin, self-adherent, poly-L-lactic acid patch ("nanofilm") as a reparative wound closure after endoscopic/fetoscopic procedures.

Neurovascular unit on a chip: implications for translational applications.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) dynamically controls exchange between the brain and the body, but this interaction cannot be studied directly in the intact human brain or sufficiently represented by animal models. Most existing in vitro BBB models do not include neurons and glia with other BBB elements and do not adequately predict drug efficacy and toxicity. Under the National Institutes of Health Microtissue Initiative, we are developing a three-dimensional, multicompartment, organotypic microphysiological system representative of a neurovascular unit of the brain.

Quantification of growth and differentiation of C2C12 skeletal muscle cells on PSS-PAH-based polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer nanofilms.

Polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer (LbL) nanofilms are interesting polymeric structures, built by alternating adsorption of positively and negatively charged polyelectrolytes. They consist of multilayer sheets with nanometric overall thickness, and they can be used as supports and surface coatings for in vitro and in vivo cell and tissue growth and regeneration. The present study focuses on nanofilms based on alternated layers of poly(sodium-4-sulfonate) (PSS) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) fabricated using spin-assisted LbL assembly (SA-LbL).

Free-standing poly(L-lactic acid) nanofilms loaded with superparamagnetic nanoparticles.

Freely suspended nanocomposite thin films based on soft polymers and functional nanostructures have been widely investigated for their potential application as active elements in microdevices. However, most studies are focused on the preparation of nanofilms composed of polyelectrolytes and charged colloidal particles. Here, a new technique for the preparation of poly(l-lactic acid) free-standing nanofilms embeddidng superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles is presented.

Flexible polymeric ultrathin film for mesenchymal stem cell differentiation.

Ultrathin films (also called nanofilms) are two-dimensional (2-D) polymeric structures with potential application in biology, biotechnology, cosmetics and tissue engineering. Since they can be handled in liquid form with micropipettes or tweezers they have been proposed as flexible systems for cell adhesion and proliferation. In particular, with the aim of designing a novel patch for bone or tendon repair and healing, in this work the biocompatibility, adhesion and proliferation activity of Saos-2, MRC-5 and human and rat mesenchymal stem cells on poly(lactic acid) nanofilms were evaluated.

From miniature to nano robots for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

This paper presents the evolution of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures as a process of convergence of technologies coming from different fields and involving different disciplines. In particular, it illustrates how modern surgery evolved thanks to fundamental biology knowledge; thus, with the introduction of imaging techniques intra-operatively and with the introduction of robotics, surgical procedures became much more predictable, precise and effective. Finally, the recent developments of optics (with CMOS and CCD technologies, and with the introduction of fiber optic technologies) allowed to "see" inside the human body, thus reducing the invasiveness of surgical procedures and making diagnostic procedures adequate for an effective early discovery of pathologies.

A pilot study on a new anchoring mechanism for surgical applications based on mucoadhesives.

In order to minimize the invasiveness of laparoscopic surgery, different techniques are emerging from research to clinical practice. Whether the incision is performed on the outside - as in Single Port Laparoscopy (SPL) - or on the inside - as in Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) - of the patient's body, inserting and operating all the instruments from a single access site seems to be the next challenge in surgery. Magnetic guidance has been recently proposed for controlling surgical tools deployed from a single access.

Adhesion and proliferation of skeletal muscle cells on single layer poly(lactic acid) ultra-thin films.

An increasing interest in bio-hybrid systems and cell-material interactions is evident in the last years. This leads towards the development of new nano-structured devices and the assessment of their biocompatibility. In the present study, the development of free-standing single layer poly(lactic acid) (PLA) ultra-thin films is described, together with the analysis of topography and roughness properties.