Lab on a bead with oscillatory centrifugal microfluidics for fast and complete mixing enables fast and accurate biomedical assays.

Rapid mixing and precise timing are key for accurate biomedical assay measurement, particularly when the result is determined as the rate of a reaction: for example rapid immunoassay in which the amount of captured target is kinetically determined; determination of the concentration of an enzyme or enzyme substrate; or as the final stage in any procedure that involves a capture reagent when an enzyme reaction is used as the indicator. Rapid mixing and precise timing are however difficult to achieve in point-of-care devices designed for small sample volumes and fast time to result. By using centrifugal microfluidics and transposing the reaction surface from a chamber to a single mm-scale bead we demonstrate an elegant and easily manufacturable solution. Reagents (which may be, for example, an enzyme, enzyme substrate, antibody or antigen) are immobilised on the surface of a single small bead (typically 1-2 mm in diameter) contained in a cylindrical reaction chamber subjected to periodically changing rotational accelerations which promote both mixing and uniform mass-transfer to the bead surface. The gradient of Euler force across the chamber resulting from rotational acceleration of the disc, dΩdisc/dt, drives circulation of fluid in the chamber. Oscillation of Euler force by oscillation of rotational acceleration with period, T, less than that of the hydrodynamic relaxation time of the fluid, folds the fluid streamlines. Movement of the bead in response to the fluid and the changing rotational acceleration provides a dynamically changing chamber shape, further folding and expanding the fluid. Bead rotation and translation driven by fluid flow and disc motion give uniformity of reaction over the surface. Critical parameters for mixing and reaction uniformity are the ratio of chamber radius to bead radius, rchamber/rbead, and the product Trchamber(dΩdisc/dt), of oscillation period and Euler force gradient across the fluid. We illustrate application of the concept using the reaction of horse radish peroxidase (HRP) immobilised on the bead surface with its substrate tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in solution. Acceleration from rest to break a hydrophobic valve provided precise timing for TMB contact with the bead. Solution uniformity from reaction on the surface of the bead in volumes 20-50 uL was obtained in times of 2.5 s or less. Accurate measurement of the amount of surface-bound HRP by model fitting to the measured kinetics of colour development at 10 s intervals is demonstrated.

Portable System for In-Clinic Differentiation of Skin Cancers from Benign Skin Lesions and Inflammatory Dermatoses.

The exquisite sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy for detecting biomolecular changes in skin cancer has previously been explored; however, this mostly required analysis of excised tissue samples using bulky, immobile laboratory instrumentation. In this study, the technique was translated for clinical use with a portable Raman system and customized fiber optic probe and applied to differentiation of skin cancers from benign lesions and inflammatory dermatoses. The aim was to provide an easy-to-use, easy-to-manage assessment tool for clinicians to use in their daily patient examination routine to perform rapid Raman measurements of skin lesions in vivo. Using this system, >867 spectra were measured in vivo from 330 patients with a wide variety of different benign skin lesions (n = 603), inflammatory dermatoses (n = 140), and skin cancers (n = 124). Ethnicities represented were 70% European; 16% Asian; 6% Maori; 5% Pacific people; and 4% Middle East, Latin American, and African. Accurate differentiation of skin cancers from benign lesions and inflammatory dermatoses was achieved using partial least squares discriminant analysis, with area under curve for the receiver operator curves for external validation sets ranging from 0.916 to 0.958. This study shows evidence for robust clinical translation of Raman spectroscopy for rapid, accurate diagnosis of skin cancer.

Direct laser writing of hydrophobic and hydrophilic valves in the same material applied to centrifugal microfluidics.

In this study, we utilize nanosecond and femtosecond direct laser writing for the generation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic microfluidic valves on a centrifugal microfluidic disk made of polycarbonate, without the need for wet-chemistry. Application of a femtosecond (fs) laser at 800 nm resulted in an increased contact angle, from ∼80° to ∼160°, thereby inducing the formation of a hydrophobic surface. In contrast, employing a nanosecond (ns) laser at 248 nm led to the formation of superhydrophilic surfaces. Morphological studies identified the enhancement in the surface roughness for the hydrophobic surfaces and the creation of smooth patterns for the hydrophilic surfaces. Chemical modifications in the laser-ablated samples were confirmed via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. These spectroscopic examinations revealed an increase of hydrophilic chemical groups on both surfaces, with a more pronounced increase on the nanosecond laser-modified surface. Furthermore, these surfaces were used as a case study for centrifugal microfluidic valves. These modified surfaces demonstrated peculiar pressure responses. Specifically, the hydrophobic valves necessitated a 29% increase in pressure for droplet passage through a microchannel. On the other hand, the superhydrophilic valves exhibited enhanced wettability, decreasing the pressure requirement for fluid flow through the modified area by 39%. However, similarly to the hydrophobic valves, the fluid exiting the hydrophilic valve area required an increased pressure. Overall, our study shows the potential for tailoring valve functionality in microfluidic systems through precise surface modifications using laser technology.

Understanding the Chemical Mechanism behind Photoinduced Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

Photoinduced enhanced Raman spectroscopy (PIERS) is a new surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) modality with a 680% Raman signal enhancement of adsorbed analytes over that of SERS. Despite the explosion in recent demonstrations, the PIERS mechanism remains undetermined. Using X-ray and time-resolved optical spectroscopies, electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and density functional theory simulations, we elucidate the atomic-scale mechanism behind PIERS. Stable PIERS substrates were fabricated using self-organized arrays of TiO2 nanotubes with controlled oxygen vacancy doping and size-controlled silver nanoparticles. The key source of PIERS vs SERS enhancement is an increase in the Raman polarizability of the adsorbed analyte upon photoinduced charge transfer. A balance between improved crystallinity, which enhances charge transfer due to higher electron mobility but decreases light absorption, and increased oxygen vacancy defect concentration, which increases light absorption, is critical. This work enables the rational design of PIERS substrates for sensing.

Raman spectroscopy system for real-time diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer tissue.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a significant healthcare problem worldwide. Current diagnosis and treatment methods are limited by a lack of precise in vivo tissue analysis methods. Real-time cancer identification and grading could dramatically improve current protocols. Here, we report the testing of a thin optical probe using Raman spectroscopy (RS) and classification methods to detect and grade PCa accurately in real-time. We present the first clinical trial on fresh ex vivo biopsy cores from an 84 patient cohort. Findings from 2395 spectra measured on 599 biopsy cores show high accuracy for diagnosing and grading PCa. We can detect clinically significant PCa from benign and clinically insignificant PCa with 90% sensitivity and 80.2% specificity. We also demonstrate the ability to differentiate cancer grades with 90% sensitivity and specificity ≥82.8%. This work demonstrates the utility of RS for real-time PCa detection and grading during routine transrectal biopsy appointments.

Detecting Phytoplankton Cell Viability Using NIR Raman Spectroscopy and PCA.

Raman spectroscopy has long been suggested as a potentially fast and sensitive method to monitor phytoplankton abundance and composition in marine environments. However, the pitfalls of visible detection methods in pigment-rich biological material and the complexity of their spectra have hindered their application as reliable in situ detection methods. In this study we combine 1064 nm confocal Raman spectroscopy with multivariate statistical analysis techniques (principle component analysis and partial leas-squares discriminant analysis) to reliably measure differences in the cell viability of a diatom species (Chaetoceros muelleri) and two haptophyte species (Diacronema lutheri and Tisochrysis lutea) of phytoplankton. The low fluorescence background due to this combined approach of NIR Raman spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis allowed small changes in the overall spectral profiles to be reliably monitored, enabling the identification of the specific spectral features that could classify cells as viable or nonviable regardless of their species. The most significant differences upon cell death were shown by characteristic shifts in the carotenoid bands at 1527 and 1158 cm-1. The contributions from other biomolecules were less pronounced but revealed changes that could be identified using this combination of techniques.

Mechanistic Insights into Rapid Generation of Nitroxyl from a Photocaged N-Hydroxysulfonamide Incorporating the (6-Hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)methyl Chromophore.

HNO is a highly reactive molecule that shows promise in treating heart failure. Molecules that rapidly release HNO with precise spatial and temporal control are needed to investigate the biology of this signaling molecule. (Hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)methyl-photocaged N-hydroxysulfonamides are a new class of photoactive HNO generators. Recently, it was shown that a (6-hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)methyl (6,2-HNM)-photocaged derivative of N-hydroxysulfonamide incorporating the trifluoromethanesulfonamidoxy group (1) quantitatively generates HNO. Mechanistic studies have now been carried out on this system and reveal that the ground state protonation state plays a key role in whether concerted heterolytic C-O/N-S bond cleavage to release HNO occurs versus undesired O-N bond cleavage. N-Deprotonation of 1 can be achieved by adding an aqueous buffer or a carboxylate salt to an aprotic solvent. Evidence is presented for C-O/N-S bond heterolysis occurring directly from the singlet excited state of the N-deprotonated parent molecule on the picosecond time scale, using femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy, to give a carbocation and 1NO-. This is consistent with the observation of significant fluorescence quenching when HNO is generated. The carbocation intermediate reacts rapidly with nucleophiles including water, MeOH, or even (H)NO in the absence of a molecule that reacts rapidly with (H)NO to give an oxime.

Raman spectroscopy reveals age- and sex-related differences in cortical bone from people with osteoarthritis.

Bone strength in human cortical bone is determined by the composition and structure of both the mineral and collagen matrices and influenced by factors such as age, gender, health, lifestyle and genetic factors. Age-related changes in the bone matrix are known to result in loss of mechanical strength and increased fragility. In this study we show how Raman spectroscopy, with its exquisite sensitivity to the molecular structure of bone, reveals new insights into age- and sex-related differences. Raman analysis of 18 samples of cortical hip bone obtained from people aged between 47-82 years with osteoarthritis (OA) found subtle changes in the lipid and collagen secondary structure, and the carbonate (CO32-) and phosphate (PO43-) mineral ratios in the bone matrix. Significant differences were observed between older and younger bones, and between older female and older male bones; no significant differences were observed between younger male and female bones. Older female bones presented the lowest mineral to matrix ratios (MMR) and highest CO32-/PO43- ratios, and relative to lipid/collagen -CH2 deformation modes at 1450 cm-1 they had lowest overall mineral content, higher collagen cross linking and lipid content but lower levels of α-helix collagen structures than older male and younger male and female bones. These observations provided further insight on bone composition changes observed in the bone volume fraction (BV/TV) for the older female bones from microCT measurements on the same samples, while tissue mineral density (TMD) measurements had shown no significant differences between the samples.

Femtosecond lasers for high-precision orthopedic surgery.

Laser micromachining with ultrashort pulses has shown great promise for clean, safe surgical treatment of bone tissue. However, comparisons of performance and development of "best practice" have been hampered by the difficulty of comparing results across a wide variety of experimental approaches and under surgically irrelevant conditions (e.g., dried, dead bone). Using a femtosecond (fs) pulsed laser system (τ = 140 fs, repetition rate = 1 kHz, λ = 800 nm), a comprehensive study of femtosecond laser microsurgery using the standard metrics of laser micromachining (ablation threshold, incubation effects, ablation rates, effect of focal point depth within the material and heat affected zone (HAZ)) was conducted on live, freshly harvested bovine and ovine cortical bone. Three important points of optimism for future implementation in the surgical theatre were identified: (1) the removal of material is relatively insensitive to the focal point depth within the material, removing the need for extreme depth precision for excellent performance; (2) femtosecond laser ablation of fresh bone demonstrates very little incubation effect, such that multiple passes of the laser over the same region of bone removes the same amount of material; and (3) the complete absence of collateral damage, heat- or shock-induced, on both the macro- and microscopic scales can be achieved readily, within a broad parameter range. Taken together, these results indicate a handheld or robotic deployed fiber laser platform for femtosecond laser microsurgery is a very viable prospect.

Large 10 × 10 single cell grid networks of human hNT astrocytes on raised parylene-C/SiO2 substrates.

OBJECTIVE: The 'Astrocytic Network' is an emerging research field for researchers in cell biology. Culturing astrocytes in organised networks is a novel method for permitting controlled studies and investigations into the calcium transients of such networks. Recent research has photolithographically patterned hNT astrocytes on parylene-C inlayed SiO2 trench grid networks. However, it was observed that the trench networks could not specifically immobilise the astrocyte cell bodies to the nodes of the networks. APPROACH: In this study, for the first time, we demonstrate how it is possible to establish grid networks of human hNT astrocytes on raised parylene-C structures where the cell bodies are specifically organised down to the single-cell level on nodes of the grid and connected throughout. MAIN RESULTS: Here, we report these to be the largest patterned single-cell grid network of astrocytes of their kind consisting of 100 cells in a 10 × 10 grid arrangement to an 80% efficiency. We quantify the level of patterning through six cell patterning assessment indices: the parylene adhesion index (PAI); SiO2 attraction index (SAI); node index (NI) and connectivity interval (χI), number of components (k) and fielder value (λ ss) and report that the best connected network is obtained with 65 µm node size, 90 µm node spacing, and 5 µm interconnecting track width (PAI = 0.77 ± 0.040, SAI = 0.12 ± 0.049, NI = 0.81 ± 0.066, χI = 0.25 ± 0.064, k = 2.33 ± 1.528, λ ss = 0.0249 ± 0.0018). We finally demonstrate, through delivery of ATP, that the networks are functional on the raised parylene-C grid structures. SIGNIFICANCE: The significance of this study is that it determines the optimal dimensions to obtain highly organised, large, interlinked, single-cell networks which provide an effective platform to investigate calcium communication within astrocytic networks in an accurate, controlled and repeatable manner.

Evaluation of parylene derivatives for use as biomaterials for human astrocyte cell patterning.

Cell patterning is becoming increasingly popular in neuroscience because it allows for the control in the location and connectivity of cells. A recently developed cell patterning technology uses patterns of an organic polymer, parylene-C, on a background of SiO2. When cells are cultured on the parylene-C/SiO2 substrate they conform to the underlying parylene-C geometry. Parylene-C is, however, just one member of a family of parylene polymers that have varying chemical and physical properties. In this work, we investigate whether two commercially available mainstream parylene derivatives, parylene-D, parylene-N and a more recent parylene derivative, parylene-HT to determine if they enable higher fidelity hNT astrocyte cell patterning compared to parylene-C. We demonstrate that all parylene derivatives are compatible with the existing laser fabrication method. We then demonstrate that parylene-HT, parylene-D and parylene-N are suitable for use as an hNT astrocyte cell attractive substrate and result in an equal quality of patterning compared to parylene-C. This work supports the use of alternative parylene derivatives for applications where their different physical and chemical properties are more suitable.

Stoichiometric Nitroxyl Photorelease Using the (6-Hydroxy-2-naphthalenyl)methyl Phototrigger.

The design and synthesis of a photoactivatable HNO donor incorporating the (6-hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)methyl (6,2-HNM) photocage coupled to the trifluoromethanesulfonamidoxy analogue of the well-established HNO generator Piloty's acid is described. The photoactive HNO donor stoichiometrically generates HNO (∼98%) at neutral pH conditions, and evidence for concerted C-O and N-S bond cleavage was obtained. The methanesulfonamidoxy analogue primarily undergoes undesired N-O bond cleavage.

Diboron Porphyrins: The Raman Signature of the In-Plane Tetragonal Elongation of the Macrocycle.

We describe an unusual in-plane type of porphyrin core distortion, tetragonal elongation (TE), observed experimentally in diboron porphyrins. The vibrational spectra of several of these complexes exhibit shifts that we have assigned to this TE distortion by comparing experimental spectra with DFT computational findings. The influence of TE in porphyrin systems was isolated using DFT analysis of the well-known model compounds Ni(II)porphine and Zn(II)porphine, with the macrocycle ring constrained to eliminate the influence of out-of-plane (OOP) distortions. A significant down-shift in frequencies was observed for porphyrin normal vibrational modes, particularly the in-plane A1g/B1g modes that are dominated by contributions from stretching and bending of Cα-Cm coordinates. In contrast, TE had little effect on the v(Pyrhalfring) and δ(Pyrdef) modes, though the lowered symmetry of the system resulted in significant splitting of the B2u and B3u modes. The impact of the TE distortion upon the diboron porphyrin vibrational spectrum was probed experimentally using Raman spectroscopy of B2O2(BCl3)2(TTP), B2OF2(TTP), and B2OPhOH2(TTP) (TTP = 5,10,15,20-(tetra- p-tolyl)porphyrin). Comparing the experimentally obtained spectral signatures to the computational findings allowed us to assign the large shifts observed for the v2 and v3 modes to the TE distortion in diboron porphyrins.

Measuring the ablation threshold fluence in femtosecond laser micromachining with vortex and Bessel pulses.

Femtosecond laser micromachining holds significant promise for advanced manufacturing, however uptake has been limited by the low processing speed. Altering the beam shape from its typical Gaussian profile has been attempted to improve efficiency, however virtually all reliable methods for quantifying the efficiency assume a Gaussian beam shape. Here, we describe an approach for quantifying the ablation threshold fluence - the key parameter for comparing efficiency - suitable for weakly focused non-Gaussian beams. We successfully demonstrate this method for Bessel and vortex beams, finding that the ablation threshold depends not just on the material, but the beam shape as well.

Screening for Adulterants in Liquid Milk Using a Portable Raman Miniature Spectrometer with Immersion Probe.

A portable Raman system with an immersion fiber optic probe was assessed for point-of-collection screening for the presence of adulterants in liquid milk. N-rich adulterants and sucrose were measured in this proof-of-concept demonstration. Reproducibility, limit of detection range and other figures of merit such as specificity, sensitivity, ratio of predicted to standard deviation, standard error of prediction and root mean squared error for cross validation were determined from partial least squares (PLS) and partial least squares with discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) calibrations of milk mixtures containing 50-1000 ppm (parts per million) of melamine, ammonium sulphate, Dicyandiamide, urea and sucrose. The spectra were recorded by immersing the fiber optic probe directly in the milk solutions. Despite the high scattering background which was easily and reliably estimated and subtracted, the reproducibility for four N-rich compounds averaged to 11% residual standard deviation (RSD) and to 5% RSD for sucrose. PLS calibration models predicted the concentrations of separate validation sets with standard errors of prediction of between 44 and 76 ppm for the four N-rich compounds and 0.17% for sucrose. The sensitivity and specificity of the PLS-DA calibration were 92% and 89%, respectively. The study shows promise for use of portable mini Raman systems for routine rapid point-of-collection screening of liquid milk for the presence of adulterants, without the need for sample preparation or addition of chemicals.

Lighting up sugars: fluorescent BODIPY-gluco-furanose and -septanose conjugates linked by direct B-O-C bonds.

We report the first O-BODIPY-glucose conjugates, in which the sugar is directly attached to the BODIPY boron through covalent B-O-C bonds. The reaction of Cl-BODIPY with glucose in acetonitrile produced the 1 : 1 α-glucofuranose BODIPY (1), 1 : 2 α-glucofuranose BODIPY (2) and 1 : 2 α-glucoseptanose BODIPY (3) esters. Compound 3 is a rare instance of the unnatural septanose form of glucose, and the first example of a septanose borate.

Gold-sputtered Blu-ray discs: simple and inexpensive SERS substrates for sensitive detection of melamine.

Nanostructured gold substrates provide chemically stable, signal-enhancing substrates for the sensitive detection of a variety of compounds through surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). Recent developments in advanced fabrication methods have enabled the manufacture of SERS substrates with repeatable surface nanostructures that provide reproducible quantitative analysis, historically a weakness of the SERS technique. Here, we describe the novel use of gold-sputtered Blu-ray disc surfaces as SERS substrates. The unique surface features and composition of the Blu-ray disc recording surface lead to the formation of gold nano-islands and nanogaps following simple gold sputtering, without any background peaks from the substrate. The SERS performance of this substrate is strong and reproducible with an enhancement factor (EF) of 10(3) for melamine. A limit of detection (LOD) for this compound of 70 ppb and average reproducibility of ±12 % were achieved. Gold-sputtered Blu-ray discs thus offer an excellent alternative to more exotic gold SERS substrates prepared by advanced, time-consuming and expensive methods. Graphical abstract AFM 3D images of 1-µm(2) sections of uncoated and gold-sputtered recordable Blu-ray disc (BD-R) surfaces and the SERS signal obtained on the gold-sputtered surface for a 1000 ppm aqueous solution of melamine.

Investigating parylene-HT as a substrate for human cell patterning.

We demonstrate, for the first time, how parylene-HT on SiO2 substrates can be used as a human cell patterning platform. We demonstrate this platform with hNT astrocytes, derived from the human NTera2.D1 cell line. We show how hNT astrocytes are attracted to Parylene-HT and repelled by the SiO2 and are shown to adopt a similar morphology as that attained on standard tissue culture polystyrene. Furthermore, parylene-HT was capable of patterning the astrocytes achieving a ratio of 8:1 for cells on parylene compared to SiO2. Thus, as parylene-HT has similar physical properties to parylene-C with the addition of UV and thermal resistance, parylene-HT represents a desirable alternative substrate for human cell patterning.

Magnetic-resonance pore imaging of nonsymmetric microscopic pore shapes.

Imaging of the microstructure of porous media such as biological tissue or porous solids is of high interest in health science and technology, engineering and material science. Magnetic resonance pore imaging (MRPI) is a recent technique based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) which allows us to acquire images of the average pore shape in a given sample. Here we provide details on the experimental design, challenges, and requirements of MRPI, including its calibration procedures. Utilizing a laser-machined phantom sample, we present images of microscopic pores with a hemiequilateral triangular shape even in the presence of NMR relaxation effects at the pore walls. We therefore show that MRPI is applicable to porous samples without a priori knowledge about their pore shape and symmetry. Furthermore, we introduce "MRPI mapping," which combines MRPI with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This enables one to resolve microscopic pore sizes and shapes spatially, thus expanding the application of MRPI to samples with heterogeneous distributions of pores.

Imaging deep skeletal muscle structure using a high-sensitivity ultrathin side-viewing optical coherence tomography needle probe.

We have developed an extremely miniaturized optical coherence tomography (OCT) needle probe (outer diameter 310 µm) with high sensitivity (108 dB) to enable minimally invasive imaging of cellular structure deep within skeletal muscle. Three-dimensional volumetric images were acquired from ex vivo mouse tissue, examining both healthy and pathological dystrophic muscle. Individual myofibers were visualized as striations in the images. Degradation of cellular structure in necrotic regions was seen as a loss of these striations. Tendon and connective tissue were also visualized. The observed structures were validated against co-registered hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) histology sections. These images of internal cellular structure of skeletal muscle acquired with an OCT needle probe demonstrate the potential of this technique to visualize structure at the microscopic level deep in biological tissue in situ.