Nanotecnologie per la medicina

L'impatto delle nanotecnologie è già notevole su numerosi settori. Grazie ad un approccio interdisciplinare, anche il settore biomedicale può beneficiare in particolare su due fronti: (1) diagnostico, grazie alla miniaturizzazione ed integrazione di componenti sensoristiche e microfluidiche in lab on chip; (2) terapeutico, grazie alla disponibilità di nanomateriali e nanovettori per abilitare nuovi approcci farmaceutici, drug delivery e riprogrammazione cellulare

A smart procedure for the femtosecond laser-based fabrication of a polymeric lab-on-a-chip for capturing tumor cell

Rapid prototyping methods for the design and fabrication of polymeric labs-on-a-chip are on the rise, as they allow high degrees of precision and flexibility. For example, a microfluidic platform may require an optimization phase in which it could be necessary to continuously modify the architecture and geometry; however, this is only possible if easy, controllable fabrication methods and low-cost materials are available. In this paper, we describe the realization process of a microfluidic tool, from the computer-aided design (CAD) to the proof-of-concept application as a capture device for circulating tumor cells (CTCs). The entire platform was realized in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), combining femtosecond (fs) laser and micromilling fabrication technologies. The multilayer device was assembled through a facile and low-cost solvent-assisted method. A serpentine microchannel was then directly biofunctionalized by immobilizing capture probes able to distinguish cancer from non-cancer cells without labeling. The low material costs, customizable methods, and biological application of the realized platform make it a suitable model for industrial exploitation and applications at the point of care. (19) (PDF) A smart procedure for the femtosecond laser-based fabrication of a polymeric lab-on-a-chip for capturing tumor cell. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347278450_A_smart_procedure_for_the_femtosecond_laser-based_fabrication_of_a_polymeric_lab-on-a-chip_for_capturing_tumor_cell [accessed Sep 17 2021]

Nanoplasmonic biosensing approach for endotoxin detection in pharmaceutical field

none7noThe outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria contains bacterial endotoxins known as Lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Owing to the strong immune responses induced in humans and animals, these large molecules have a strong toxic effect that can cause severe fever, hypotension, shock, and death. Endotoxins are often present in the environment and medical implants and represent undesirable contaminations of pharmaceutical preparations and medical devices. To overcome the limitations of the standard technique, novel methods for early and sensitive detection of LPS will be of crucial importance. In this work, an interesting approach for the sensitive detection of LPS has been realized by exploiting optical features of nanoplasmonic transducers supporting Localized Surface Plasmon Resonances (LSPRs). Ordered arrays of gold nano-prisms and nano-disks have been realized by nanospheres lithography. The realized transducers have been integrated into a simple and miniaturized lab-on-a-chip (LOC) platform and functionalized with specific antibodies as sensing elements for the detection of LPS. Interactions of specific antibodies anchored on protein A-modified sensor chips with the investigated analyte resulted in a spectral shift in the plasmonic resonance peak of the transducers. A good linear relationship between peak shifts and the LPS concentration has been demonstrated for the fabricated nano-structures with a detection limit down to 5 ng/mL. Integration with a proper microfluidic platform demonstrates the possibility of yielding a prototypal compact device to be used as an analytical test for quality determination of pharmaceutical products.openColombelli A.; Primiceri E.; Rizzato S.; Monteduro A.G.; Maruccio G.; Rella R.; Manera M.G.Colombelli, A.; Primiceri, E.; Rizzato, S.; Monteduro, A. G.; Maruccio, G.; Rella, R.; Manera, M. G

Development of EIS cell chips and their application for cell analysis

International audience; We report the development of EIS cell chips able to monitor cell growth and adhesion. They are made of transparent or semitransparent materials to allow complementary analysis of cell behaviour during the measurements through optical microscopy. Our approach is cheap both in fabrication and usage, it is not invasive for cells and it does not require any additional reagent. Our devices are particular suitable to count cells or to evaluate cell morphology and changes as a consequence of different treatments

A nanobiosensor to detect single hybridization events

An economical nanoarray method to electrically detect hybridization events is demonstrated. As a proof of concept, we fabricated a sensor for DNA sequencing, in which targets are oligonucleotides conjugated to gold nanoparticles. As a consequence of target–probe binding events, a conductive bridge forms between two electrodes, resulting in a quantized change in conductivity. This enables a robust detection of a few (down to single) hybridization events and can be potentially applied also to other binding events (like specific interactions between proteins, antibodies, ligands and receptors). Moreover, target amplification techniques (such as PCR) are no longer necessary

Towards pancreatic cancer diagnosis using EIS biochips

n/

Nanotecnologie per la medicina

L'impatto delle nanotecnologie è già notevole su numerosi settori. Grazie ad un approccio interdisciplinare, anche il settore biomedicale può beneficiare in particolare su due fronti: (1) diagnostico, grazie alla miniaturizzazione ed integrazione di componenti sensoristiche e microfluidiche in lab on chip; (2) terapeutico, grazie alla disponibilità di nanomateriali e nanovettori per abilitare nuovi approcci farmaceutici, drug delivery e riprogrammazione cellulare

Biosensors for the Detection of Food Pathogens

Food pathogens frequently cause foodborne diseases. There is a need to rapidly identify the source of the bacteria in order to contain their spread and epidemics. A pre-enrichment culture or a direct culture on agar plate are standard microbiological methods. In this review, we present an update on alternative molecular methods to nucleic acid-based detection for species identification. Biosensor-based methods rely on the recognition of antigen targets or receptors by antibodies, aptamers or high-affinity ligands. The captured antigens may be then directly or indirectly detected through an antibody or high-affinity and high-specificity recognition molecule. Various different detection methods are discussed, from label-free sensors and immunosensors to fluorescence-based ones. Each method shows advantages and disadvantages in terms of equipment, sensitivity, simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Finally, lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices are introduced briefly, with the potential to be fast, sensitive and useful for on-site bacteria detection in food processing laboratories to check potential contamination by sample monitoring combined with a rapid pre-enrichment step