Microfluidics for Biosensing

There are 12 papers published with 8 research articles, 3 review articles and 1 perspective. The topics cover: Biomedical microfluidics Lab-on-a-chip Miniaturized systems for chemistry and life science (MicroTAS) Biosensor development and characteristics Imaging and other detection technologies Imaging and signal processing Point-of-care testing microdevices Food and water quality testing and control We hope this collection could promote the development of microfluidics and point-of-care testing (POCT) devices for biosensing

Carbon Nanomaterials Embedded in Conductive Polymers: A State of the Art

Carbon nanomaterials are at the forefront of the newest technologies of the third millennium, and together with conductive polymers, represent a vast area of indispensable knowledge for developing the devices of tomorrow. This review focusses on the most recent advances in the field of conductive nanotechnology, which combines the properties of carbon nanomaterials with conjugated polymers. Hybrid materials resulting from the embedding of carbon nanotubes, carbon dots and graphene derivatives are taken into consideration and fully explored, with discussion of the most recent literature. An introduction into the three most widely used conductive polymers and a final section about the most recent biological results obtained using carbon nanotube hybrids will complete this overview of these innovative and beyond belief materials.The European Union is acknowledged for funding this research through Horizon 2020 MSCA-IF-2018 No 838171 (TEXTHIOL). IMDEA Nanociencia acknowledges support from the “Severo Ochoa” Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D (MINECO, Grant SEV- 2016-0686). European Regional Development fund Project “MSCAfellow4 @ MUNI” supported by MEYS CR (No. CZ.02.2.69/0.0/0.0/20_079/0017045) is acknowledged. N.A. has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 753293, acronym NanoBEAT

Nanocellulose and Nanocarbons Based Hybrid Materials

This highly informative and carefully presented book discusses the preparation, processing, characterization and applications of different types of hybrid nanomaterials based on nanocellulose and/or nanocarbons. It gives an overview of recent advances of outstanding classes of hybrid materials applied in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, and materials science, among others. The content of this book is relevant to researchers in academia and industry professionals working on the development of advanced hybrid nanomaterials and their applications

Advances in Nanofibers

Book Advances in Nanofibers is a research publication that covers original research on developments within the Nanofibers field of study. The book is a collection of reviewed scholarly contributions written by different authors. Each scholarly contribution represents a chapter and each chapter is complete in itself but related to the major topics and objectives. The target audience comprises scholars and specialists in the field

Proteomics, ecotoxicology and seafood safety: the <i>Mytilus galloprovincialis</i> in Sardinia

As a consequence for the irrational exploiting of marine resources, their contamination produced by the persistent anthropogenic activity and the effects of climate changes, nowadays there is great concern about the environmental sustainability of aquaculture practices and seafood quality. Actual regulations ensure that environmental and food resources are exploited in a rational way and that, accordingly, the hazards are adequately monitored both at environmental and food chain level. Proteomics allows the identification of biomarkers on many biological matrices for a wide range of general applications in ecotoxicity and food science. In the present work a proteomic approach has adopted for the study of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, which is the most important aquaculture resource of Sardinia, in different rearing environments, with the aim of accomplishing a systematic characterization of its foot muscle proteome, gathering insights on the protein expression variability that may be correlated to growth and environmental factors. Lastly, also the application of proteomics in the development of biosensors to monitor toxicant hazards in aquatic environments and control seafood-related risks has been reviewed.</br

Fluorescence Methods for Investigation of Living Cells and Microorganisms

Fluorescence methods play a leading role in the investigation of biological objects. They are the only non-destructive methods for investigating living cells and microorganisms in vivo. Using intrinsic and artificial fluorescence methods provides deep insight into mechanisms underlying physiological and biochemical processes. This book covers a wide range of modern methods involved in experimental biology. It illustrates the use of fluorescence microscopy and spectroscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, flow cytometry, delayed fluorescence, pulse-amplitude-modulation fluorometry, and fluorescent dye staining protocols. This book provides an overview of practical and theoretical aspects of fluorescence methods and their successful application in the investigation of static and dynamic processes in living cells and microorganisms

Light-Addressing and Chemical Imaging Technologies for Electrochemical Sensing

Visualizing chemical components in a specimen is an essential technology in many branches of science and practical applications. This book deals with electrochemical imaging techniques based on semiconductor devices with capability of spatially resolved sensing. Two types of such sensing devices have been extensively studied and applied in various fields, i.e., arrayed sensors and light-addressed sensors. An ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) array and a charge-coupled device (CCD) ion image sensor are examples of arrayed sensors. They take advantage of semiconductor microfabrication technology to integrate a large number of sensing elements on a single chip, each representing a pixel to form a chemical image. A light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS), on the other hand, has no pixel structure. A chemical image is obtained by raster-scanning the sensor plate with a light beam, which can flexibly define the position and size of a pixel. This light-addressing approach is further applied in other LAPS-inspired methods. Scanning photo-induced impedance microscopy (SPIM) realized impedance mapping and light-addressable electrodes/light-activated electrochemistry (LAE) realized local activation of Faradaic processes. This book includes eight articles on state-of-the-art technologies of light-addressing/chemical imaging devices and their application to biology and materials science

Biointerfaces based on the combination of synthetic polymers and biomolecules

Alicat embargament des de la defensa de la tesi fins al 31 de desembre de 2019Premi Extraordinari de Doctorat, promoció 2018-2019. Àmbit d’Enginyeria IndustrialDuring the last decades, research focused on the preparation of highly selective and smart materials has increased considerably. For instances, it has been possible to achieve intelligent drug nano-carriers, biomolecular sensors, platforms to promote cell growth and differentiation among many other striking applications. Two mentionable factors that helped such development are the incorporation of biological moieties onto this interfaces to gain specificity and the combination of more than one material in order to get a synergistic effect between the different components (i.e. conducting polymers suffer from poor mechanical strength, therefore its combination with polyesters can reduce their fragility). This thesis has been devoted to the design and development of high performance polymeric materials for multiple functions related to the biomedical field, such as passive ion transport membranes, drug delivery systems and the addition of selectivity in different surfaces. The work gives special emphasis to the characterization of these platforms, like its surface chemistry, topology, biocompatibility or its mechanical strength. Besides, these systems have been synthetized in a large variety of shapes, from free-standing nanomembranes to polymeric nanoparticles. The Thesis is divided in three blocs: Bloc A encloses all the studies realized for the generation of hybrid nanoperforated membranes in order to achieve controlled ion diffusion. Specifically, an outer membrane protein, Omp2a, was considered for these studies. Primarily, the protein was purified, folded and characterized in an ambient resembling to the one encountered in nature, its mechanical forces and conductivity were analysed. The project was followed by the immobilization of Omp2a into silicon microcantillevers to acquire greater knowledge of its folding and unfolding processes upon thermal stress. Next, artificial polymeric membranes containing nanofeatures were developed with the final purpose to immobilize Omp2a via protein confinement. Then, the conductivity of the membrane with different electrolyte media solutions was tested. Bloc B describes the state-of-the art of drug delivery systems prepared with intrinsically conducting polymers to achieve controlled drug release upon electrical stimuli. Furthermore, two systems based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) nanoparticles are described. Particularly, curcumin was employed as a model neutral drug and incorporated within the PEDOT nanoparticles. The oxidation state of the PEDOT chains regulated the drug release. Later on, a similar system was generated with polyester microfibers loaded with curcumin and nanoparticles. The driving force for the later drug release was the actuation of the PEDOT nanoparticles. Lastly, Bloc C reports the immobilization of a pentapeptide called CREKA and its analog CR(NMe)EKA onto PEDOT and silicon surfaces. The addition of CREKA favoured the selectivity of those interfaces towards clotted plasma proteins such as fibrin and fibrinogen. PEDOT-peptide material allowed the electrochemical detection of the proteins by an increase in membrane resistance and these interactions were evaluated with microcantilevers by measuring the difference on weight when they were incubated with different protein concentrations. Overall, the compilation of the studies presented in this Thesis offer a comprehensive view on how modifying and generating hybrid materials is possible to optimize and exploit their capabilities for a wide range of applications.Durant les últimes dècades, la recerca centrada en la preparació de materials altament selectius i intel·ligents ha augmentat considerablement. Ha estat possible aconseguir nano-contenidors de fàrmacs, sensors de biomolècules, plataformes per promoure el creixement i la diferenciació cel·lular, entre moltes altres aplicacions interessants. Dos factors destacables que han ajudat aquest desenvolupament són la incorporació de cues biològiques en aquets materials per obtenir especificitat i la combinació de més d'un element per obtenir un efecte sinèrgic entre els diferents components (per exemple els polímers conductors pateixen d’una baixa resistència mecànica, per tant, la seva combinació amb polièsters pot reduir la seva fragilitat però seguir mantenint les seves propietats elèctriques). En resum, aquesta tesi s'ha centrat en el disseny i desenvolupament de materials polimèrics d'alt rendiment per a múltiples funcions relacionades amb el camp biomèdic, com ara membranes passives de transport iònic, sistemes de lliurament de fàrmacs i l'addició de selectivitat envers proteïnes del plasma en diferents superfícies. El treball fa especial èmfasi en la caracterització d'aquestes plataformes, com la seva química superficial, topologia, biocompatibilitat o resistència mecànica. A més, aquests sistemes s'han sintetitzat en una gran varietat de formes, des de films fins a nanopartícules polimèriques. La tesi es divideix en tres blocs: El bloc A inclou tots els estudis realitzats per a la generació de membranes híbrides nanoperforades amb la finalitat d’aconseguir una difusió controlada de ions. Concretament en aquests estudis es va emprar una proteïna transmembrana anomenada Omp2a. La primera etapa del treball es centra en la purificació, plegament i caracterització de la proteïna en un ambient similar al que es troba originàriament. A més a més, es van analitzar les seves forces mecàniques i de conductivitat. Seguidament, es va procedir a la immobilització d'Omp2a en microcantillevers de silici per adquirir un major coneixement sobre els seus processos de plegament i desplegament depenent de l'estrès tèrmic. Finalment, es van desenvolupar membranes polimèriques artificials amb nanoperforacions amb l'objectiu d'immobilitzar Omp2a a través del confinament de la proteïna en aquests porus. El Bloc B descriu l'estat de l’art dels sistemes d’alliberament controlat de fàrmacs, preparats amb polímers intrínsecament conductors, depenent d’estímuls elèctrics. En aquest apartat, es descriuen dos sistemes basats en nanopartícules de poli(3,4-etilendioxitiofé) (PEDOT). En el primer cas, l'estat d'oxidació de les cadenes PEDOT és el responsable de regular l'alliberament del medicament. En canvi, en el segon, on es va generar un sistema similar amb microfibres de polièster carregades de droga i nanopartícules per separat, la força motriu de l'alliberament del fàrmac és el moviment d’expansió i contracció de les nanopartícules PEDOT. Finalment, el Bloc C informa de la immobilització d'un pentapèptid anomenat CREKA i el seu anàleg CR(NMe)EKA en films de PEDOT i superfícies de silici. La incorporació de CREKA afavoreix la selectivitat d'aquestes interfícies cap a les proteïnes de coagulació del plasma com la fibrina i el fibrinogen. El material pèptid-PEDOT va permetre la detecció electroquímica de les proteïnes mitjançant un augment de la resistència a la membrana i aquestes interaccions van ser avaluades amb microcantilevers, concretament, mesurant la diferència de pes quan es van incubar amb diferents concentracions de proteïnes. En general, la recopilació d’aquets estudis ofereix una visió completa sobre com modificant i generant materials híbrids és possible optimitzar i explotar les seves capacitats particulars per a una àmplia gamma d'aplicacions.Award-winningPostprint (published version