Combinatorial Immunophenotyping of Cell Populations with an Electronic Antibody Microarray

Immunophenotyping is widely used to characterize cell populations in basic research and to diagnose diseases from surface biomarkers in the clinic. This process usually requires complex instruments such as flow cytometers or fluorescence microscopes, which are typically housed in centralized laboratories. Microfluidics are combined with an integrated electrical sensor network to create an antibody microarray for label‐free cell immunophenotyping against multiple antigens. The device works by fractionating the sample via capturing target subpopulations in an array of microfluidic chambers functionalized against different antigens and by electrically quantifying the cell capture statistics through a network of code‐multiplexed electrical sensors. Through a combinatorial arrangement of antibody sequences along different microfluidic paths, the device can measure the prevalence of different cell subpopulations in a sample from computational analysis of the electrical output signal. The device performance is characterized by analyzing heterogeneous samples of mixed tumor cell populations and then the technique is applied to determine leukocyte subpopulations in blood samples and the results are validated against complete blood cell count and flow cytometry results. Label‐free immunophenotyping of cell populations against multiple targets on a disposable electronic chip presents opportunities in global health and telemedicine applications for cell‐based diagnostics and health monitoring.     

Nano and Microtechnologies for the Study of Magnetotactic Bacteria

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) naturally synthesize magnetic nanoparticles that are wrapped in lipid membranes. These membrane‐bound particles, which are known as magnetosomes, are characterized by their narrow size distribution, high colloidal stability, and homogenous magnetic properties. These characteristics of magnetosomes confer them with significant value as materials for biomedical and industrial applications. MTB are also a model system to study key biological questions relating to formation of bacterial organelles, metal homeostasis, biomineralization, and magnetoaerotaxis. The similar size scale of nano and microfluidic systems to MTB and ease of coupling to local magnetic fields make them especially useful to study and analyze MTB. In this Review, a summary of nano‐ and microtechnologies that are developed for purposes such as MTB sorting, genetic engineering, and motility assays is provided. The use of existing platforms that can be adapted for large‐scale MTB processing including microfluidic bioreactors is also described. As this is a relatively new field, future synergistic research directions coupling MTB, and nano‐ and microfluidics are also suggested. It is hoped that this Review could start to bridge scientific communities and jump‐start new ideas in MTB research that can be made possible with nano‐ and microfluidic technologies.     

Droplets Manipulated on Photothermal Organogel Surfaces

A photoresponsive organogel surface (POS), which integrates characteristics of the photothermal property of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and the low hysteresis feature of lubricant‐infused organogels, is shown. A photothermally induced dynamic temperature gradient can be formed rapidly at the location of near‐infrared‐light irradiation (NIR) on POS with suitable Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles content. Thus, various droplets (e.g., water, glycerol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and ethanol) can be transported effectively and nimbly (e.g., along desired trajectories with controllable velocity and direction, even run uphill and deliver solid particles). This work reveals a synergistic effect between the asymmetrical droplet deformation and the inside Marangoni flows, which forms a unique driving force for droplet transport with high efficiency. This finding offers insight into the design of novel responsive interface materials for droplet transportation, which would be significant for laboratory‐on‐a‐chip contexts, mass transportation, and microengines.     

AP1000次级汽水分离器分离性能及结构优化的数值研究

建立AP1000次级波纹板汽水分离器内两相流动的数学模型,随后数值模拟波纹板内的两相流动,并分析其分离性能。进而对波纹板结构进行优化,得到具有较高分离效率和较低流动阻力的新型波纹板。首先分别建立波纹板内部蒸汽相和液滴相运动的数学模型。然后通过自编程序与Fluent软件耦合对该两相流动模型数值求解。随后得到波纹板进出口总压降,并通过模拟液滴在波纹板内的运动轨迹,得到波纹板的分离效率和内部液滴湿度分布。进而以分离效率和流动压降为目标优化波纹板结构,设计得到具有较高分离效率和较低流动阻力的新型波纹板。本文提出的数值模拟方法对汽水分离器结构的设计和优化具有较强的指导意义。     

Bubble breakup with permanent obstruction in an asymmetric microfluidic T‐junction

Bubble breakup with permanent obstruction in an asymmetric microfluidic T‐junction is investigated experimentally. The breakup process of bubbles can be divided into three stages: squeezing, transition, and pinch‐off stages. In the squeezing stage, the thinning of the bubble neck is mainly controlled by the velocity of the fluid flowing into the T‐junction, and the increase of the liquid viscosity can promote this process. In the transition stage, the minimum width of bubble neck decreases linearly with time. In the pinch‐off stage, the effect of the velocity of the fluid flowing into the T‐junction on the thinning of the bubble neck becomes weaker, and the increase of the liquid viscosity would delay this process. The evolution of the minimum width of the bubble neck with the remaining time before the breakup can be scaled by a power–law relationship. The bubble length has little influence on the whole breakup process of bubbles. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 1081–1091, 2015