3D Electrophoresis-assisted lithography (3DEAL): 3D molecular printing to create functional patterns and anisotropic hydrogels

The ability to easily generate anisotropic hydrogel environments made from functional molecules with microscale resolution is an exciting possibility for the biomaterials community. This study reports a novel 3D electrophoresis‐assisted lithography (3DEAL) platform that combines elements from proteomics, biotechnology, and microfabrication to print well‐defined 3D molecular patterns within hydrogels. The potential of the 3DEAL platform is assessed by patterning immunoglobulin G, fibronectin, and elastin within nine widely used hydrogels and characterizing pattern depth, resolution, and aspect ratio. Furthermore, the technique's versatility is demonstrated by fabricating complex patterns including parallel and perpendicular columns, curved lines, gradients of molecular composition, and patterns of multiple proteins ranging from tens of micrometers to centimeters in size and depth. The functionality of the printed molecules is assessed by culturing NIH‐3T3 cells on a fibronectin‐patterned polyacrylamide‐collagen hydrogel and selectively supporting cell growth. 3DEAL is a simple, accessible, and versatile hydrogel‐patterning platform based on controlled molecular printing that may enable the development of tunable, chemically anisotropic, and hierarchical 3D environments

Synthesis and characterization of hydrogels from 1-vinylimidazole. Highly resistant co-polymers with synergistic effect

Monomers N, N-(dimethyl) amine ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMT) and N-[3 - (dimethylamine) propyl] methacrylamide (DMAPMD) were co-polymerized with 1-vinylimidazole (VI) in different proportions and crosslinked with N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) in aqueous phase, to yield highly resistant hydrogels. The polymeric products were studied by swelling kinetics, solvent diffusion within the crosslinked network, thermal decomposition, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (VP-SEM), and mechanical and rheological tests. The incorporation of VI in the polymerization reaction led to beneficial changes in the properties of the final materials such as improvement in the resistance of the materials and increase in the percentage of deformation capable of withstanding elongation before breaking. All VI-containing products were mechanically strong with respect to homo-polymers (DMAPMD 100% and DMAEMT 100%). The most resistant products were DMAPMD-co-VI 60% and DMAEMT-co-VI 60%. A synergistic effect with the addition of VI is revealed by Young's modulus that increases 5 and 10 times regarding the hydrogels yielded from pure monomers, respectively.Fil: Primo, Gastón A.. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Garcia Manzano, Maria Florencia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Romero, Marcelo Ricardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez Igarzabal, Cecilia Ines. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentin

3D Electrophoresis-assisted lithography (3DEAL): 3D molecular printing to create functional patterns and anisotropic hydrogels

The ability to easily generate anisotropic hydrogel environments made from functional molecules with microscale resolution is an exciting possibility for the biomaterials community. This study reports a novel 3D electrophoresis‐assisted lithography (3DEAL) platform that combines elements from proteomics, biotechnology, and microfabrication to print well‐defined 3D molecular patterns within hydrogels. The potential of the 3DEAL platform is assessed by patterning immunoglobulin G, fibronectin, and elastin within nine widely used hydrogels and characterizing pattern depth, resolution, and aspect ratio. Furthermore, the technique's versatility is demonstrated by fabricating complex patterns including parallel and perpendicular columns, curved lines, gradients of molecular composition, and patterns of multiple proteins ranging from tens of micrometers to centimeters in size and depth. The functionality of the printed molecules is assessed by culturing NIH‐3T3 cells on a fibronectin‐patterned polyacrylamide‐collagen hydrogel and selectively supporting cell growth. 3DEAL is a simple, accessible, and versatile hydrogel‐patterning platform based on controlled molecular printing that may enable the development of tunable, chemically anisotropic, and hierarchical 3D environments

3D Electrophoresis-assisted lithography (3DEAL): 3D molecular printing to create functional patterns and anisotropic hydrogels

The ability to easily generate anisotropic hydrogel environments made from functional molecules with microscale resolution is an exciting possibility for the biomaterials community. This study reports a novel 3D electrophoresis‐assisted lithography (3DEAL) platform that combines elements from proteomics, biotechnology, and microfabrication to print well‐defined 3D molecular patterns within hydrogels. The potential of the 3DEAL platform is assessed by patterning immunoglobulin G, fibronectin, and elastin within nine widely used hydrogels and characterizing pattern depth, resolution, and aspect ratio. Furthermore, the technique's versatility is demonstrated by fabricating complex patterns including parallel and perpendicular columns, curved lines, gradients of molecular composition, and patterns of multiple proteins ranging from tens of micrometers to centimeters in size and depth. The functionality of the printed molecules is assessed by culturing NIH‐3T3 cells on a fibronectin‐patterned polyacrylamide‐collagen hydrogel and selectively supporting cell growth. 3DEAL is a simple, accessible, and versatile hydrogel‐patterning platform based on controlled molecular printing that may enable the development of tunable, chemically anisotropic, and hierarchical 3D environments

Synthetic Glycomacromolecules of Defined Valency, Absolute Configuration, and Topology Distinguish between Human Lectins

Carbohydrate-binding proteins (lectins) play vital roles in cell recognition and signaling, including pathogen binding and innate immunity. Thus, targeting lectins, especially those on the surface of immune cells, could advance immunology and drug discovery. Lectins are typically oligomeric; therefore, many of the most potent ligands are multivalent. An effective strategy for lectin targeting is to display multiple copies of a single glycan epitope on a polymer backbone; however, a drawback to such multivalent ligands is they cannot distinguish between lectins that share monosaccharide binding selectivity (e.g., mannose-binding lectins) as they often lack molecular precision. Here, we describe the development of an iterative exponential growth (IEG) synthetic strategy that enables facile access to synthetic glycomacromolecules with precisely defined and tunable sizes up to 22.5 kDa, compositions, topologies, and absolute configurations. Twelve discrete mannosylated "glyco-IEGmers" are synthesized and screened for binding to a panel of mannoside-binding immune lectins (DC-SIGN, DC-SIGNR, MBL, SP-D, langerin, dectin-2, mincle, and DEC-205). In many cases, the glyco-IEGmers had distinct length, stereochemistry, and topology-dependent lectin-binding preferences. To understand these differences, we used molecular dynamics and density functional theory simulations of octameric glyco-IEGmers, which revealed dramatic effects of glyco-IEGmer stereochemistry and topology on solution structure and reveal an interplay between conformational diversity and chiral recognition in selective lectin binding. Ligand function also could be controlled by chemical substitution: by tuning the side chains of glyco-IEGmers that bind DC-SIGN, we could alter their cellular trafficking through alteration of their aggregation state. These results highlight the power of precision synthetic oligomer/polymer synthesis for selective biological targeting, motivating the development of next-generation glycomacromolecules tailored for specific immunological or other therapeutic applications

Becas de Verano 2014 del Instituto Balseiro – Informes

El programa de Becas de Verano del Instituto Balseiro ofrece a estudiantes universitarios avanzados o recientemente egresados de carreras de grado en Ciencias o Ingenierías la posibilidad de realizar una pasantía durante el mes de febrero. El objetivo de la misma es familiarizarse con técnicas experimentales y colaborar en tareas de investigación en laboratorios del Centro Atómico Bariloche. Anualmente, 15 estudiantes son seleccionados y reciben ayuda económica completa. Cada participante elige un único tema de investigación entre una serie de propuestas y es guiado por un grupo de investigadores del Centro Atómico Bariloche. La pasantía finaliza con la entrega de un informe y la presentación de un póster en el que se detallan los resultados obtenidos a lo largo del mes de trabajo

Design and implementation of the AMIGA embedded system for data acquisition

International audienceThe Auger Muon Infill Ground Array (AMIGA) is part of the AugerPrime upgrade of the Pierre Auger Observatory. It consists of particle counters buried 2.3 m underground next to the water-Cherenkov stations that form the 23.5 km2 large infilled array. The reduced distance between detectors in this denser area allows the lowering of the energy threshold for primary cosmic ray reconstruction down to about 1017 eV. At the depth of 2.3 m the electromagnetic component of cosmic ray showers is almost entirely absorbed so that the buried scintillators provide an independent and direct measurement of the air showers muon content. This work describes the design and implementation of the AMIGA embedded system, which provides centralized control, data acquisition and environment monitoring to its detectors. The presented system was firstly tested in the engineering array phase ended in 2017, and lately selected as the final design to be installed in all new detectors of the production phase. The system was proven to be robust and reliable and has worked in a stable manner since its first deployment