by Michelle Revels, Texas A&M University Laminated paper can direct fluid through porous paper structures with high accuracy and precision and can be used in complex fluid handling systems such as polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 tests and DNA sequencing machines. Credit: Texas A&M Engineering A team from the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas...
by Thamarasee Jeewandara, Medical Xpress Flow characteristics of paper microfluidic devices. (A) Photographs of serpentine paperfluidic devices with different paper widths of (i) 1 mm, (ii) 2 mm, (iii) 3 mm, and (iv) 2 mm with integrated plasmonic sensors, showing varying travel distances of 10 μl of water. (B) Travel distance as a function of...
by Vanderbilt University Medical Center Scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix, Arizona, have discovered previously unreported genetic and cellular changes that occur in the lungs of people with pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Their findings, reported Wednesday, July 8, in the journal Science Advances, should aid the...
Method could shed light on nitric oxide’s role in the neural, circulatory, and immune systems. Nitric oxide is an important signaling molecule in the body, with a role in building nervous system connections that contribute to learning and memory. It also functions as a messenger in the cardiovascular and immune systems. But it has been...
A MULTIVALVE SWEAT COLLECTOR FOR MONITORING HEALTH view more CREDIT: JENNIFER M. MCCANN/ PENN STATE A device that monitors health conditions in the body using a person’s sweat has been developed by Penn State and Xiangtan University researchers, according to Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics, Penn State. “We want to...
o defend the body, the immune system makes proteins known as antibodies that latch onto the perceived threat, be it HIV, the new coronavirus or, as is the case in autoimmune disease, part of the body itself. In a new proof-of-concept study in ACS Sensors, researchers describe a new system for detecting antibodies within a...
Researchers at Hokkaido University in Japan have developed a microfluidic test that can detect antibodies against a viral infection. So far, the test has been optimized to detect avian flu, but could be adapted to detect antibodies against the virus causing COVID-19. The device can provide a result in as little as 20 minutes and...
A team led by scientists at the Broad Institute, MIT, and Massachusetts General Hospital has developed a prototype device that uses microfluidics to sort cell types extracted from clinical samples for RNA sequencing. Credit: Miguel Reyes “This platform allows us to isolate specific cell subsets in a sample, so we can perform RNA sequencing and...
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) — an intermediate form of cancer cell between a primary and metastatic tumor cell — carry a treasure trove of information that is critical to treating cancer. Numerous engineering advancements over the years have made it possible to extract cells via liquid biopsy and analyze them to monitor an individual patient’s...
