Open hardware for microfluidics: exploiting Raspberry Pi singleboard computer and camera systems for customisable laboratory instrumentation

The integration of Raspberry Pi miniature computer systems with microfluidics has revolu-tionized the development of low-cost and customizable analytical systems in life science labor-atories. This review explores the applications of Raspberry Pi in microfluidics, with a focus on imaging, including microscopy and automated image capture. By leveraging the low-cost, flexi-bility and accessibility of Raspberry Pi components, high-resolution imaging and analysis have been achieved in direct mammalian and bacterial cellular imaging and a plethora of image based biochemical and molecular assays, from immunoassays, through microbial growth, to nucleic acid methods such as real-time-qPCR. The control of image capture permitted by Raspberry Pi hard-ware can also be combined with onboard image analysis. Open-source hardware offers an op-portunity to develop complex laboratory instrumentation systems at a fraction of the cost of commercial equipment and importantly, offer an opportunity to completely customise to meet the users’ needs. However, these benefits come with a trade-off: challenges remain for those wishing to incorporate open-source hardware equipment in their own work, including requirements for construction and operator skill, need for good documentation and the availability of rapid pro-totyping such as 3D printing plus other components. These advances in open-source hardware have the potential to improve efficiency, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness of microfluidic-based experiments and applications

Beyond solid-state lighting: Miniaturization, hybrid integration, and applications og GaN nano- and micro-LEDs

Gallium Nitride (GaN) light-emitting-diode (LED) technology has been the revolution in modern lighting. In the last decade, a huge global market of efficient, long-lasting and ubiquitous white light sources has developed around the inception of the Nobel-price-winning blue GaN LEDs. Today GaN optoelectronics is developing beyond lighting, leading to new and innovative devices, e.g. for micro-displays, being the core technology for future augmented reality and visualization, as well as point light sources for optical excitation in communications, imaging, and sensing. This explosion of applications is driven by two main directions: the ability to produce very small GaN LEDs (microLEDs and nanoLEDs) with high efficiency and across large areas, in combination with the possibility to merge optoelectronic-grade GaN microLEDs with silicon microelectronics in a fully hybrid approach. GaN LED technology today is even spreading into the realm of display technology, which has been occupied by organic LED (OLED) and liquid crystal display (LCD) for decades. In this review, the technological transition towards GaN micro- and nanodevices beyond lighting is discussed including an up-to-date overview on the state of the art

Advances in current in vitro models on neurodegenerative diseases

Many neurodegenerative diseases are identified but their causes and cure are far from being well-known. The problem resides in the complexity of the neural tissue and its location which hinders its easy evaluation. Although necessary in the drug discovery process, in vivo animal models need to be reduced and show relevant differences with the human tissues that guide scientists to inquire about other possible options which lead to in vitro models being explored. From organoids to organ-on-a-chips, 3D models are considered the cutting-edge technology in cell culture. Cell choice is a big parameter to take into consideration when planning an in vitro model and cells capable of mimicking both healthy and diseased tissue, such as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), are recognized as good candidates. Hence, we present a critical review of the latest models used to study neurodegenerative disease, how these models have evolved introducing microfluidics platforms, 3D cell cultures, and the use of induced pluripotent cells to better mimic the neural tissue environment in pathological conditions