A 3D‐Bioprinted Vascularized Glioblastoma‐on‐a‐Chip for Studying the Impact of Simulated Microgravity as a Novel Pre‐Clinical Approach in Brain Tumor Therapy

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most aggressive malignant brain tumors and urgently requires the development of new therapeutic strategies. In this study, an innovative hybrid in vitro vascularized GBM-on-a-chip model is presented as a strategic integration of microfluidics and 3D bioprinting technologies. The system can recreate the compartmentalized brain tumor microenvironment, comprising the functional blood brain barrier (BBB) and the adjacent 3D perivascular tumor niche, by selectively mimicking physiological shear stress and cell–cell, cell–matrix mechanical interaction. The GBM-on-a-chip model was evaluated under simulated microgravity (µG) condition as a form of mechanical unloading showing a significant cell morphological and mechanotransduction response thereby indicating that gravitational forces play an important role in glioblastoma mechanical regulation. The proposed GBM-on-a-chip represents a meaningful biological tool for further research in cancer mechanobiology and pre-clinical approach in brain tumor therapy

Electrochemical studies p-Sulfonatocalix[4]Arene in ionic liquid as supporting electrolyte

The electrochemical behaviour of sodium p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene (s-psc4) was studied. In this study ionic liquid/water mixtures were used as electrolyte, namely, [BMIM][BF4]/water mixture and [BMIM][OTf]/water mixture ([BMIM] = 1 -butyl 3-methyl imidazolium, BF 4 = tetrafluoroborate, OTf = trifluoromethanesulfonate). S-psc 4 can be oxidised at 0.84 V and 0.83 V in [BMIM][BF 4]/water and [BMIM][OTf]/water respectively. The reaction is an irreversible process for both systems. The number of electron transferred in this electrochemical process is one electron and the diffusion coefficient, (D) for both systems was 1.15 × 10-8 cm2 s-1 and 1.67 × 10-8 cm2 s-1 respectively. The anodic potentials were affected by temperature and the activation energy, (Ed) was 18.18 kJ mol-1 and 18.78 kJ mol-1 in [BMIM][BF4]/water mixture and [BMIM][OTf/water mixture respectively

Microgravity × Radiation: A Space Mechanobiology Approach Toward Cardiovascular Function and Disease.

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in space exploration, supported by the accelerated technological advancements in the field. This has led to a new potential environment that humans could be exposed to in the very near future, and therefore an increasing request to evaluate the impact this may have on our body, including health risks associated with this endeavor. A critical component in regulating the human pathophysiology is represented by the cardiovascular system, which may be heavily affected in these extreme environments of microgravity and radiation. This mini review aims to identify the impact of microgravity and radiation on the cardiovascular system. Being able to understand the effect that comes with deep space explorations, including that of microgravity and space radiation, may also allow us to get a deeper understanding of the heart and ultimately our own basic physiological processes. This information may unlock new factors to consider with space exploration whilst simultaneously increasing our knowledge of the cardiovascular system and potentially associated diseases

Conductivity studies of grafted natural rubber and ionic liquid electrolyte systems

Ionic liquids containing the 1 -butyl- 1-methylpyrrolidinium ([C 4mPyrr]+) cation and bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([NTf 2]") anion have been synthesized and incorporated in 49% PMMA grafted natural rubber together with lithium salts to obtain solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs). The resultant SPEs obtained, are freestanding, flexible film and translucent and show conductivity over a wide range of 10 -3-10 -5 S cm -1. Polymer electrolytes containing 80% of (MG49:LiCF 3S0 3) and 20% of [C 4mPyrr] [NTf 2] showed the highest conductivity of 2.11 x 10 -3 S cm -1 at room temperature. The examination of the ion- polymer interactions and ionic conductivity are discussed and investigated by FT-IR and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) respectively

Background-free fibre optic Brillouin probe for remote mapping of micromechanics

Brillouin spectroscopy is a century-old technique that has recently received renewed interest, as modern instrumentation has transformed it into a powerful contactless and label-free probe of micromechanical properties for biomedical applications. In particular, to fully harness the non-contact and non-destructive nature of Brillouin imaging, there is strong motivation to develop a fibre-integrated device and extend the technology into the domain of in vivo and in situ operation, such as for medical diagnostics. This work presents the first demonstration of a fibre optic Brillouin probe that is capable of mapping the mechanical properties of a tissue-mimicking phantom. This is achieved through combination of miniaturised optical design, advanced hollow-core fibre fabrication and high-resolution 3D printing. The protype probe is compact, background-free and possesses the highest collection efficiency to date, thus provides the foundation of a fibre-based Brillouin device for remote in situ measurements in challenging and otherwise difficult-to-reach environments, for biomedical, material science and industrial applications