Microfluidic encapsulation of cells in alginate particles via an improved internal gelation approach

An improved internal gelation approach is developed to encapsulate single mammalian cells in monodisperse alginate microbeads as small as 26 μm in diameter and at rates of up to 1 kHz with high cell viability. The cell damage resulting from contact with calcium carbonate nanoparticles as gelation reagents is eliminated by employing a co-flow microfluidic device, and the cell exposure to low pH is minimized by a chemically balanced off-chip gelation step. These modifications significantly improve the viability of cells encapsulated in gelled alginate particles. Two different mammalian cell types are encapsulated with viability of over 84 %. The cells are functional and continue to grow inside the microparticles.     

Precision positioning using a novel six axes compliant nano-manipulator

In this paper, a novel micro-scale nano-manipulator capable of positioning in six degrees of freedom (DOF) is introduced. Undesired deflections, while operating in a specific DOF, are restricted by the aid of distinctive design of flexure hinges and actuators’ arrangements. The compliant mechanism is actuated by thermo-electro-mechanical actuators, as they could be integrated and exert large forces in a nanometer resolution. The actuators are bidirectional capable of applying force in both transverse and longitudinal directions. Performance of the two degrees of freedom actuator is thoroughly explored via numerical and analytical analyses, showing a good agreement. The workspace and performance of the precision positioner is studied using finite element methods. Finally, identification of forward and inverse kinematic of the nano-manipulator is performed utilizing neural network concept. A well-trained and appropriate neural network can efficiently replace the time-consuming and complex analytical and experimental methods.