2,314 research outputs found
Tunable templating of photonic microparticles via liquid crystal order-guided adsorption of amphiphilic polymers in emulsions
Multiple emulsions are usually stabilized by amphiphilic molecules that combine the chemical characteristics of the different phases in contact. When one phase is a liquid crystal (LC), the choice of stabilizer also determines its configuration, but conventional wisdom assumes that the orientational order of the LC has no impact on the stabilizer. Here we show that, for the case of amphiphilic polymer stabilizers, this impact can be considerable. The mode of interaction between stabilizer and LC changes if the latter is heated close to its isotropic state, initiating a feedback loop that reverberates on the LC in form of a complete structural rearrangement. We utilize this phenomenon to dynamically tune the configuration of cholesteric LC shells from one with radial helix and spherically symmetric Bragg diffraction to a focal conic domain configuration with highly complex optics. Moreover, we template photonic microparticles from the LC shells by photopolymerizing them into solids, retaining any selected LC-derived structure. Our study places LC emulsions in a new light, calling for a reevaluation of the behavior of stabilizer molecules in contact with long-range ordered phases, while also enabling highly interesting photonic elements with application opportunities across vast fields
Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly
Encapsulation of Vitamins Using Nanoliposome: Recent Advances and Perspectives
Nowadays the importance of vitamins is clear for everyone. However, many patients are suffering from insufficient intake of vitamins. Incomplete intake of different vitamins from food sources due to their destruction during food processing or decrease in their bioavailability when mixing with other food materials, are factors resulting in vitamin deficiency in the body. Therefore, various lipid based nanocarriers such as nanoliposomes were developed to increase the bioavailability of bioactive compounds. Since the function of nanoliposomes containing vitamins on the body has a direct relationship with the quality of produced nanoliposomes, this review study was planned to investigate the several aspects of liposomal characteristics such as size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, and encapsulation efficiency on the quality of synthesized vitamin-loaded nanoliposomes
Development of spectroscopic assays for rapid monitoring of estrogen biodegradation
Estrogen hormones are well-established environmental micropollutants which have been linked to endocrine disruption in aquatic organisms in wastewater discharge sites. Biological degradation is the primary wastewater treatment mechanism for estrogen removal. However, treatment efficacy is highly variable and difficult to engineer due to the “black box” nature of biological treatment. Microbial strain selection is a critical impediment towards engineering estrogen biodegradation, since isolating endogenous strains with specific metabolic traits requires lengthy enrichment cultures and is limited to culturable organisms. Furthermore, the highly sensitive and selective chemical trace analysis techniques used to measure estrogen removal are relatively expensive and inefficient.
In this thesis, we developed rapid, high-throughput spectroscopic methods designed to monitor estrogen biodegradation. The spectroscopic methods include a fluorometric assay based on the uptake of a fluorescently-labelled estrogen and a colorimetric biosensor using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and an aptamer bioreceptor. A synthetic microbial community comprised of characterised estrogen-degrading reference strains was used to evaluate the fitness for purpose of the developed methods.
A trace analysis method using conventional chromatography was developed to validate the use of the fluorescent probes with the synthetic microbial community. The biochemical fate and distribution of the BODIPY-estrogen in the estrogen-degrading bacteria – specifically, the biotransformation of BODIPY-estradiol to BODIPY-estrone by Caenibius tardaugens – was used to inform the design of the fluorometric assay. The fluorometric assay utilises a cell impermeable halide quencher to suppress the extracellular fluorescence, and thus, the obtained fluorescence response was attributed to the selective internalisation of BODIPY-estrogen by C. tardaugens.
While the fluorometric assay was developed to screen for estrogen-degrading bacteria, the colorimetric aptasensor, which was adapted from published AuNP biosensors and aptamers for this application, was developed to quantify 17β-estradiol (E2) in buffered culture media. The developed aptasensor was evaluated against industry guidelines for ligand-binding assays. While the analytical performance of the aptasensor satisfied the majority of the guidelines’ acceptance criteria, the method suffered from biological interferences by the estrogen-degrading bacteria.
The work in this thesis contributes towards expanding the available bioanalytical methods in environmental biotechnology
Beam scanning by liquid-crystal biasing in a modified SIW structure
A fixed-frequency beam-scanning 1D antenna based on Liquid Crystals (LCs) is designed for application in 2D scanning with lateral alignment. The 2D array environment imposes full decoupling of adjacent 1D antennas, which often conflicts with the LC requirement of DC biasing: the proposed design accommodates both. The LC medium is placed inside a Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) modified to work as a Groove Gap Waveguide, with radiating slots etched on the upper broad wall, that radiates as a Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA). This allows effective application of the DC bias voltage needed for tuning the LCs. At the same time, the RF field remains laterally confined, enabling the possibility to lay several antennas in parallel and achieve 2D beam scanning. The design is validated by simulation employing the actual properties of a commercial LC medium
Phenotyping single-cell motility in microfluidic confinement.
This is the final version. Available from eLife Sciences Publications via the DOI in this record. Data availability:
New data and analysis codes generated as part of this study are available for download from Zenodo. The dataset includes all raw cell trajectories and motility states, as well as analysis and simulation codes.
The following data sets were generated:
Bentley SALaeverenz-Schlogelhofer HAnagnostidis VCammann JMazza MGGielen FWan KY (2022) Zenodo Dataset for: Phenotyping single-cell motility in microfluidic confinement. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7226288The movement trajectories of organisms serve as dynamic read-outs of their behaviour and physiology. For microorganisms this can be difficult to resolve due to their small size and fast movement. Here, we devise a novel droplet microfluidics assay to encapsulate single micron-sized algae inside closed arenas, enabling ultralong high-speed tracking of the same cell. Comparing two model species - Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (freshwater, 2 cilia), and Pyramimonas octopus (marine, 8 cilia), we detail their highly-stereotyped yet contrasting swimming behaviours and environmental interactions. By measuring the rates and probabilities with which cells transition between a trio of motility states (smooth-forward swimming, quiescence, tumbling or excitable backward swimming), we reconstruct the control network that underlies this gait switching dynamics. A simplified model of cell-roaming in circular confinement reproduces the observed long-term behaviours and spatial fluxes, including novel boundary circulation behaviour. Finally, we establish an assay in which pairs of droplets are fused on demand, one containing a trapped cell with another containing a chemical that perturbs cellular excitability, to reveal how aneural microorganisms adapt their locomotor patterns in real-time.European CommissionAcademy of Medical SciencesBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Counci
Modern meat: the next generation of meat from cells
Modern Meat is the first textbook on cultivated meat, with contributions from over 100 experts within the cultivated meat community.
The Sections of Modern Meat comprise 5 broad categories of cultivated meat: Context, Impact, Science, Society, and World.
The 19 chapters of Modern Meat, spread across these 5 sections, provide detailed entries on cultivated meat. They extensively tour a range of topics including the impact of cultivated meat on humans and animals, the bioprocess of cultivated meat production, how cultivated meat may become a food option in Space and on Mars, and how cultivated meat may impact the economy, culture, and tradition of Asia
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Developing new 3D hydrogel models of the human mammary gland to investigate breast cancer initiation
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