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Microfluidics is the engineering or use of devices that apply fluid flow to channels smaller than 1 millimetre in at least one dimension. Microfluidic devices can reduce reagent consumption, allow well controlled mixing and particle manipulation, integrate and automate multiple assays (known as lab-on-a-chip), and facilitate imaging and tracking.
Integrating droplet-based microfluidics with a modular DNA circuit, here the authors report on monitoring the amplification reaction from single enzyme molecules in real time, revealing the distribution of activity among the catalyst population and alternative inactivation pathways under various stresses.
Astrocytes adopt diverse states in response to brain injuries. Here, the authors develop a platform for spatially resolved, single-cell transcriptomics and proteomics, called tDISCO (tissue-digital microfluidic isolation of single cells for -Omics) to uncover the spatial boundaries of molecularly distinct reactive astrocyte populations in stroke.
Vascularization remains a significant challenge in organoid technology. Here, the authors develop a microfluidic platform that enhances organoid growth, function and maturation, by establishing functional perfusable vascular networks.
Here the authors develop perfusable inner blood-retinal barrier-specific microvascular networks with human primary retinal microvascular cells. They show that chronic diabetic stimulation leads to the generation of early hallmarks of diabetic retinopathy, including pericyte and capillary dropout, ghost vessels, and inflammation.
An aptamer-based nanobiosensor has been integrated into a wearable sweat sensor, allowing non-invasive tracking of the female reproductive hormone, oestradiol, with the potential to deliver sustainable solutions to female reproductive healthcare needs.
Human-based in vitro models, such as organoids and organs-on-chips, may have the potential to replace certain animal models in preclinical research. But how much ‘human’ is needed in these models?
An article in Nature Nanotechnology reports a nanopore-based single-molecule sensing method that allows control over the translocation speed of the measured molecule.