Design and Development of Transient Sensing Devices for Healthcare Applications.

With the ever-growing requirements in the healthcare sector aimed at personalized diagnostics and treatment, continuous and real-time monitoring of relevant parameters is gaining significant traction. In many applications, health status monitoring may be carried out by dedicated wearable or implantable sensing devices only within a defined period and followed by sensor removal without additional risks for the patient. At the same time, disposal of the increasing number of conventional portable electronic devices with short life cycles raises serious environmental concerns due to the dangerous accumulation of electronic and chemical waste.

Impact of Viscosity on Human Hepatoma Spheroids in Soft Core-Shell Microcapsules.

The extracellular environment regulates the structures and functions of cells, from the molecular to the tissue level. However, the underlying mechanisms influencing the organization and adaptation of cancer in three-dimensional (3D) environments are not yet fully understood. In this study, the influence of the viscosity of the environment is investigated on the mechanical adaptability of human hepatoma cell (HepG2) spheroids in vitro, using 3D microcapsule reactors formed with droplet-based microfluidics.

Methods gold standard in clinic millifluidics multiplexed extended gate field-effect transistor biosensor with gold nanoantennae as signal amplifiers.

We present a portable multiplexed biosensor platform based on the extended gate field-effect transistor and demonstrate its amplified response thanks to gold nanoparticle-based bioconjugates introduced as a part of the immunoassay. The platform comprises a disposable chip hosting an array of 32 extended gate electrodes, a readout module based on a single transistor operating in constant charge mode, and a multiplexer to scan sensing electrodes one-by-one. Although employing only off-the-shelf electronic components, our platform achieves sensitivities comparable to fully customized nanofabricated potentiometric sensors.

Shell engineering in soft alginate-based capsules for culturing liver spheroids.

Functional interaction between cancer cells and the surrounding microenvironment is still not sufficiently understood, which motivates the tremendous interest for the development of numerous in vitro tumor models. Diverse parameters, for example, transport of nutrients and metabolites, availability of space in the confinement, etc. make an impact on the size, shape, and metabolism of the tumoroids.

Impedimetric Nanobiosensor for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Antigens and Antibodies.

Detection of antigens and antibodies (Abs) is of great importance in determining the infection and immunity status of the population, as they are key parameters guiding the handling of pandemics. Current point-of-care (POC) devices are a convenient option for rapid screening; however, their sensitivity requires further improvement. We present an interdigitated gold nanowire-based impedance nanobiosensor to detect COVID-19-associated antigens (receptor-binding domain of S1 protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus) and respective Abs appearing during and after infection.

Real-Time Monitoring of Blood Parameters in the Intensive Care Unit: State-of-the-Art and Perspectives.

The number of patients in intensive care units has increased over the past years. Critically ill patients are treated with a real time support of the instruments that offer monitoring of relevant blood parameters. These parameters include blood gases, lactate, and glucose, as well as pH and temperature.

Poly(DL-Lactide-co-ε-Caprolactone)/Poly(Acrylic Acid) Composite Implant for Controlled Delivery of Cationic Drugs.

Poly(DL-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone)/poly(acrylic acid) implantable composite reservoirs for cationic drugs are synthesized by sequentially applying photoirradiation and liquid phase inversion. The chemical composition and microstructure of reservoirs are characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Drug loading and release properties are investigated using methylene blue as the drug model.