A cell-free expression and purification process for rapid production of protein biologics.

Cell-free protein synthesis has emerged as a powerful technology for rapid and efficient protein production. Cell-free methods are also amenable to automation and such systems have been extensively used for high-throughput protein production and screening; however, current fluidic systems are not adequate for manufacturing protein biopharmaceuticals. In this work, we report on the initial development of a fluidic process for rapid end-to-end production of recombinant protein biologics. This process incorporates a bioreactor module that can be used with eukaryotic or prokaryotic lysates that are programmed for combined transcription/translation of an engineered DNA template encoding for specific protein targets. Purification of the cell-free expressed product occurs through a series of protein separation modules that are configurable for process-specific isolation of different proteins. Using this approach, we demonstrate production of two bioactive human protein therapeutics, erythropoietin and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, in yeast and bacterial extracts, respectively, each within 24 hours. This process is flexible, scalable and amenable to automation for rapid production at the point-of-need of proteins with significant pharmaceutical, medical, or biotechnological value.

Biocompatible Optically Transparent MEMS for Micromechanical Stimulation and Multimodal Imaging of Living Cells.

Cells and tissues in our body are continuously subjected to mechanical stress. Mechanical stimuli, such as tensile and contractile forces, and shear stress, elicit cellular responses, including gene and protein alterations that determine key behaviors, including proliferation, differentiation, migration, and adhesion. Several tools and techniques have been developed to study these mechanobiological phenomena, including micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). MEMS provide a platform for nano-to-microscale mechanical stimulation of biological samples and quantitative analysis of their biomechanical responses. However, current devices are limited in their capability to perform single cell micromechanical stimulations as well as correlating their structural phenotype by imaging techniques simultaneously. In this study, a biocompatible and optically transparent MEMS for single cell mechanobiological studies is reported. A silicon nitride microfabricated device is designed to perform uniaxial tensile deformation of single cells and tissue. Optical transparency and open architecture of the device allows coupling of the MEMS to structural and biophysical assays, including optical microscopy techniques and atomic force microscopy (AFM). We demonstrate the design, fabrication, testing, biocompatibility and multimodal imaging with optical and AFM techniques, providing a proof-of-concept for a multimodal MEMS. The integrated multimodal system would allow simultaneous controlled mechanical stimulation of single cells and correlate cellular response.

A study on the cellular structure during stress solicitation induced by BioMEMS.

The investigation of single cells is a topic in continuous evolution. The complexity of the cellular matrix, the huge variety of cells, the interaction of one cell with the other are all factors that must be taken into consideration in the study of the cellular structure and mechanics. In this project, we developed different types of bioMEMS for cell's stretching, both transparent devices based on silicon nitride and non-transparent silicon based. While the use of silicon devices is limited to reflection microscopes, transparent bioMEMS can be used with transmission and reflection microscopes but can also be easily coupled with other tools such as patch clamp analyzers or atomic force microscope. This improvement will open brand new possibilities in the biological investigation field. We used these two BioMEMS to stretch a single cell in a controlled way and, as a first investigation, we focused on its morphology. We noticed that during a controlled stretch, cells react to the applied deformation. A hysteretic behavior on the ratio between area and perimeter has been highlighted.