Evaluation of Cell-Matrix Interactions in K14+ Leader Cells on CAF-Modulated Matrix

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/reu/1005/thumbnail.jp

Investigation of a trapezoidal microchannel for hydrodynamic detachment of cells or biomolecules.

Fluid-based non-specific adsorption (NSA) methods and cell adhesion studies both use hydrodynamic forces to detach biomolecules or cells. To address the limitations in current microfluidic detachment assays and NSA removal methods, a trapezoidal microchannel was investigated as a hydrodynamic method of cell or biomolecule detachment. This design utilizes the characteristic pressure-driven flow of microfluidics to detach cells or biomolecules at the narrow region of interest while enabling flexibility in the rest of the channel with larger height and low shear stress. A fluid dynamics analysis was performed analytically and using computational fluid dynamics simulations to compare the wall shear stress and pressure drop of straight microchannels with the proposed design. The results demonstrated the trapezoidal microchannel can produce a high wall shear stress similar to a straight microchannel with the same height at the region of interest (50 um), while conserving pressure loss, and holding a larger fluid volume

Non-Specific Adsorption Reduction Methods in Biosensing

Non-specific adsorption (NSA) is a persistent problem that negatively affects biosensors, decreasing sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. Passive and active removal methods exist to remedy this issue, by coating the surface or generating surface forces to shear away weakly adhered biomolecules, respectively. However, many surface coatings are not compatible or effective for sensing, and thus active removal methods have been developed to combat this phenomenon. This review aims to provide an overview of methods of NSA reduction in biosensing, focusing on the shift from passive methods to active methods in the past decade. Attention is focused on protein NSA, due to their common use in biosensing for biomarker diagnostics. To our knowledge, this is the first review to comprehensively discuss active NSA removal methods. Lastly, the challenges and future perspectives of NSA reduction in biosensing are discussed