In previous experiments where the affinity based capture of EVs in ALine devices was tested, issues were encountered. It was noticed that when capturing EVs on the ALine, the non-biotinylated slit membranes had captured a higher quantity of EVs compared…
Category: NRG
Hemocompatibility Assessment of Microfluidic Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenator
Introduction Risks of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy can be attributed to large membrane areas and blood circuit volumes. These are particularly problematic in neonates with low blood volume. To address this, we are developing a miniaturized prototype microfluidic ECMO…
Posted in NRG
Little Back Dots in Coated Controls … How We Wonder What You Are.
Introduction We are investigating some issues seen with long term attachment (up to 6 days) of the EECM-BMEC-like cells seen by collaborators in Bern, where they noticed black aggregates on the coated control devices that get worse at day 6.…
Fabricating Thin Polymer Coatings to Study S. Aureus Durotaxis – PUA Optimization
Introduction The work in this post explores the hypothesis that durotaxis affects the invasion of S. aureus into the osteocyte lacuna-canicular network (OLCN). To address this hypothesis, we modified the µSiM to enable the independent tuning of pore stiffness, ranging…
Posted in NRG
I’ve looked at cloudiness from both sides now…
“I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now” is a Joni Mitchell song. Some Background We are developing a white blood cell (WBC) detector to surveil peritoneal dialysate fluid during fluid exchanges for early detection of peritonitis. This preemptive monitoring…
Posted in NRG
Who’s Your Cabby? Analyzing the Roles of Haptotaxis and Durotaxis on Staphylococcus Aureus Invasion of the Osteocyte Lacuna-Canicular Network
As discussed in a previous post of mine, I am currently working on a project to develop an in vitro mimetic of the osteocyte lacuna-canicular network (OLCN) to improve the ability to predict Staphylococcus Aureus invasion and colonization of the…
Posted in NRG
Fabricating Thin Polymer Coatings to Study S. Aureus Durotaxis – Stiffness Measurements
Introduction The invasion of Staphlyococcus aureus into the cracks of cortical bone leads to osteomyelitis, a devastating disease often resolved by amputation [1]. The μSiM platform has been used to study the genetic mechanisms of S. aureus invasion. The membrane…
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Modeling Oxygen and Urea transfer in Nanomembrane Devices
Introduction Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) devices are used to supply oxygen to patients when they are unable to get sufficient oxygen through their lungs. Miniaturizing an ECMO device could be beneficial for neonatal patients, as it would require less blood…
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Human Tendon-on-Chip (hToC), a current research tool and future screening platform
The Burden of Tendon Injuries on HealthCare: Acute and chronic tendon injuries commonly affecting the working-age population are frequently work-related and have negative socioeconomic outcomes such as productivity loss, income loss, and unemployment(O’Hara et al., 2020). Tendon injuries are often…
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No Time To Waste: Developing a Faster Method for Viral Genome Extraction from Waste Water Samples
The premise of this project is built around the ideas that our membranes can: Be used as concentrators for very dilute targets Catch and hold particles for further processing on the membrane Here, we wish to test these ideas for…
Posted in NRG
