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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.
Evolution separates complex modern enzymes from their hypothetical simpler early ancestors, which raises the question of how unevolved sequences can develop new functions. Here a library of non-natural protein sequences was subjected to ultrahigh-throughput screens in microfluidic droplets, leading to the isolation of a phosphodiesterase enzyme capable of hydrolysing the biological second messenger, cyclic AMP.
The design of synthetic systems that can sense chemical gradients and respond with directional motility and chemical activity is of interest. Here, the authors realize and control such behaviors in a synthetic system by tailoring multivalent interactions of adenosine nucleotides with catalytic microbeads.
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.