In-situ scalable manufacturing of Epstein-Barr virus-specific T-cells using bioreactor with an expandable culture area (BECA).

The ex-vivo expansion of antigen-specific T-cells for adoptive T-cell immunotherapy requires active interaction between T-cells and antigen-presenting cells therefore culture density and environment become important variables to control. Maintenance of culture density in a static environment is traditionally performed by the expansion of the culture area through splitting of culture from a single vessel into multiple vessels-a highly laborious process. This study aims to validate the use and efficacy of a novel bioreactor, bioreactor with an expandable culture area-dual chamber (BECA-D), that was designed and developed with a cell chamber with expandable culture area (12-108 cm) and a separate media chamber to allow for in-situ scaling of culture with maintenance of optimum culture density and improved nutrient and gas exchange while minimizing disturbance to the culture.

Multi-Foci Laser Separation of Sapphire Wafers with Partial Thickness Scanning.

With multi-foci laser cutting technology for sapphire wafer separation, the entire cross-section is generally scanned with single or multiple passes. This investigation proposes a new separation technique through partial thickness scanning. The energy effectivity and efficiency of the picosecond laser were enhanced through a two-zone partial thickness scanning by exploiting the internal reflection at the rough exit surface.

Harmonic balance analysis of magnetically coupled two-degree-of-freedom bistable energy harvesters.

Because a magnetically coupled two-degree-of-freedom bistable energy harvester (2-DOF MCBEH) shows the rich, complicated nonlinear behaviors caused by its coupled cubic nonlinearities, understanding the dynamics remains challenging. This paper reports and investigates the important nonlinear dynamical phenomena of the 2-DOF MCBEHs by performing the harmonic balance analysis (HBA). All periodic solution branches are identified in order to study and comprehend the complicated dynamics of the 2-DOF MCBEHs.

Multi-Foci Division of Nonlinear Energy Absorption on Ultrashort Pulse Laser Singulation of Sapphire Wafers.

The multi-foci division of through thickness nonlinear pulse energy absorption on ultrashort pulse laser singulation of single side polished sapphire wafers has been investigated. Firstly, it disclosed the enhancement of energy absorption by the total internal reflection of the laser beam exiting from an unpolished rough surface. Secondly, by optimizing energy distribution between foci and their proximity, favorable multi-foci energy absorption was induced.

Towards Biomanufacturing of Cell-Derived Matrices.

Cell-derived matrices (CDM) are the decellularised extracellular matrices (ECM) of tissues obtained by the laboratory culture process. CDM is developed to mimic, to a certain extent, the properties of the needed natural tissue and thus to obviate the use of animals. The composition of CDM can be tailored for intended applications by carefully optimising the cell sources, culturing conditions and decellularising methods.

Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) Enabled Virtual Shop Applications Using Self-Powered Sensor Enhanced Soft Robotic Manipulator.

Rapid advancements of artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) technology pave the way for developing a digital-twin-based remote interactive system for advanced robotic-enabled industrial automation and virtual shopping. The embedded multifunctional perception system is urged for better interaction and user experience. To realize such a system, a smart soft robotic manipulator is presented that consists of a triboelectric nanogenerator tactile (T-TENG) and length (L-TENG) sensor, as well as a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) pyroelectric temperature sensor.

Electrical Resistance Reduction Induced with CO Laser Single Line Scan of Polyimide.

We conducted a laser parameter study on CO laser induced electrical conductivity on a polyimide film. The induced electrical conductivity was found to occur dominantly at the center of the scanning line instead of uniformly across the whole line width. MicroRaman examination revealed that the conductivity was mainly a result of the multi-layers (4-5) of graphene structure induced at the laser irradiation line center.

Decellularization systems and devices: State-of-the-art.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a natural biomaterial scaffold that provides biochemical and structural support to its surrounding cells, forming tissue and respective organs. These ECM proteins can be extracted from organs and tissues through decellularization, which is the process of removing cellular content and nuclear material from the organs to obtain decellularized ECM (dECM). dECM is a versatile and functional biomaterial that can be used as the base component of bioinks for rebuilding tissue and organs.

Additive Biomanufacturing with Collagen Inks.

Collagen is a natural polymer found abundantly in the extracellular matrix (ECM). It is easily extracted from a variety of sources and exhibits excellent biological properties such as biocompatibility and weak antigenicity. Additionally, different processes allow control of physical and chemical properties such as mechanical stiffness, viscosity and biodegradability.

The Business of Cultured Meat.

Cultured meats (CMs) are produced by in vitro culture of animal cells. Since the first CM burger patty was created in 2013, many companies have been founded to commercialize CM products. We discuss the meat focus and geographical spread of CM companies, the funding landscape, and challenges for commercialization.

Commercialization of Organoids.

Organoids have been successfully exploited for drug screening, disease modeling, pathogenesis, and regenerative medicine. Herein, we discuss the progress achieved in the commercialization of organoids in the last few years. We further elaborate on the concept of organoid biobank and highlight ethical and regulatory issues surrounding organoid research and commercialization.

A pump-free tricellular blood-brain barrier on-a-chip model to understand barrier property and evaluate drug response.

Disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) leads to various neurovascular diseases. Development of therapeutics required to cross the BBB is difficult due to a lack of relevant in vitro models. We have developed a three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic BBB chip (BBBC) to study cell interactions in the brain microvasculature and to test drug candidates of neurovascular diseases.

Fabrication and Properties of Hybrid Coffee-Cellulose Aerogels from Spent Coffee Grounds.

A fully biodegradable hybrid coffee-cotton aerogel has been successfully developed from spent coffee grounds, 100% cotton fiber and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) flakes via environmental friendly processes. The cotton fibers in coffee aerogel help to maintain the structure and improve the overall properties of the new hybrid coffee-cotton aerogel. The results show that increasing the concentration of fibers, while keeping the concentration of spent coffee grounds constant, the sinking of coffee ground particles in solution and shrinking effect on the aerogels are minimized and the overall mechanical and oil absorption properties are improved.

Towards manufacturing of human organoids.

Organoids are 3D miniature versions of organs produced from stem cells derived from either patient or healthy individuals in vitro that recapitulate the actual organ. Organoid technology has ensured an alternative to pre-clinical drug testing as well as being currently used for "personalized medicine" to modulate the treatment as they are uniquely identical to each patient's genetic makeup. Researchers have succeeded in producing different types of organoids and have demonstrated their efficient application in various fields such as disease modeling, pathogenesis, drug screening and regenerative medicine.

In situ bioprinting - Bioprinting from benchside to bedside?

Bioprinting technologies have been advancing at the convergence of automation, digitalization, and new tissue engineering (TE) approaches. In situ bioprinting may be favored during certain situations when compared with the conventional in vitro bioprinting when de novo tissues are to be printed directly on the intended anatomical location in the living body. To date, few attempts have been made to fabricate in situ tissues, which can be safely arrested and immobilized while printing in preclinical living models.

Self-assembly of a robust hydrogen-bonded octylphosphonate network on cesium lead bromide perovskite nanocrystals for light-emitting diodes.

We report the self-assembly of an extensive inter-ligand hydrogen-bonding network of octylphosphonates on the surface of cesium lead bromide nanocrystals (CsPbBr NCs). The post-synthetic addition of octylphosphonic acid to oleic acid/oleylamine-capped CsPbBr NCs promoted the attachment of octylphosphonate to the NC surface, while the remaining oleylammonium ligands maintained the high dispersability of the NCs in non-polar solvent. Through powerful 2D solid-state P-H NMR, we demonstrated that an ethyl acetate/acetonitrile purification regime was crucial for initiating the self-assembly of extensive octylphosphonate chains.

Continuous flow microfluidic cell inactivation with the use of insulating micropillars for multiple electroporation zones.

Electroporation is a powerful tool for inactivating cells and transfecting biological cells and has applications in biology, genetic engineering, medicine, environment, and many others. We report a new continuous flow device embedded with insulating micropillars to achieve better performance of cell inactivation. The use of micropillars creates multiple electroporation zones with enhanced local electric field strengths.

Healing of Chronic Wounds: An Update of Recent Developments and Future Possibilities.

Chronic wounds are the result of disruptions in the body's usual process of healing. They are not only a source of significant pain and discomfort but also, more importantly, an unguarded port of entry for pathogens into the body. While our current understanding of this phenomenon is far from complete, findings in physiological patterns and advancements in wound healing technologies have helped develop wound management and healing solutions to this long-standing medical challenge.

Microfluidic bioprinting for organ-on-a-chip models.

Bioprinting is a revolutionary technology to assemble scaffolds for growing tissues. Microfluidic organs-on-a-chip is a useful platform with widespread applications mainly in drug screening and pathological studies. Organ-on-a-chip models are created to recapitulate the structural, microenvironmental and physiological functions of human organs.

Engineering Microfluidic Organoid-on-a-Chip Platforms.

cell culture models are emerging as promising tools to understand human development, disease progression, and provide reliable, rapid and cost-effective results for drug discovery and screening. In recent years, an increasing number of models with complex organization and controlled microenvironment have been developed to mimic the organ structure and function. The invention of organoids, self-organized organ-like cell aggregates that originate from multipotent stem cells, has allowed a whole new level of biomimicry to be achieved.

Scaled-Up Inertial Microfluidics: Retention System for Microcarrier-Based Suspension Cultures.

Recently, particle concentration and filtration using inertial microfluidics have drawn attention as an alternative to membrane and centrifugal technologies for industrial applications, where the target particle size varies between 1 µm and 500 µm. Inevitably, the bigger particle size (>50 µm) mandates scaling up the channel cross-section or hydraulic diameter (D > 0.5 mm).

Enhanced sensitivity shaping by data-based tuning of disturbance observer with non-binomial filter.

This work presents a new method of sensitivity shaping for motion control systems with disturbance observer (DOB). Although the traditional DOB design has been proved to be an effective means of rejecting disturbances in many applications, shaping of the closed-loop sensitivity is constrained since the Q-filter in DOB is usually restricted to a standard Butterworth or binomial form, where the cutoff frequency is the only tunable parameter. To overcome this limitation and achieve better performance for more demanding motion systems, a general form of the Q-filter is employed in this work.

Evaluation of Solar-Driven Photocatalytic Activity of Thermal Treated TiO₂ under Various Atmospheres.

In this report, the photocatalytic activity of P25 has been explored and the influence of thermal treatment under various atmospheres (air, vacuum and hydrogen) were discussed. The samples' characteristics were disclosed by means of various instruments including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV⁻vis. This study also accentuates various states of the oxygen vacancy density formed inside the samples as well as the colour turning observed in treated P25 under various atmospheres.

Miniaturized pH Holographic Sensors for the Monitoring of Lactobacillus casei Shirota Growth in a Microfluidic Chip.

Bioreactors have been used both to develop new, and to improve bioprocess yields for, biopharmaceutical products. However, efforts to miniaturize bioreactors, in order to save costs and accelerate process development times, have been limited by the lack of on-site monitoring capabilities available at such scales. In this study, small volume (3 nL) nonconsumptive holographic sensors were integrated into a glass-PDMS microfluidic chip to monitor via a blue-shift in the resultant holographic replay wavelength, the change in pH during microbial growth of Lactobacillus casei ( L.