Nanophotonic-Carbohydrate Lab-on-a-Microneedle for Rapid Detection of Human Cystatin C in Finger-Prick Blood.

Miniaturized total analysis systems, for the rapid detection of disease biomarkers, with features including high biomarker sensitivity, selectivity, biocompatibility, and disposability, all at low cost are of profound importance in the healthcare sector. Within this frame of reference, we developed a lab-on-a-carbohydrate-microneedle biodevice by integrating localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) paper-based substrates with biocompatible microneedles of high aspect ratio (>60:1 length:width). These microneedles are completely fabricated with carbohydrate (maltose) and further coated with poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), which together serves the purpose of fluid channels. The porous nature of PLGA, in addition to drawing blood by capillary action, filters out the whole blood, allowing only the blood plasma to reach the biorecognition layer of the developed biodevice. While the use of maltose provides biocompatibility to the microneedle, the axial compression and transverse load analysis revealed desired mechanical strength of the microneedle, with mechanical failure occurring at 11N and 9 N respectively for the compressive and transverse load. For a proof-of-principle demonstration, the developed biodevice is validated for its operational features by direct detection of cystatin C in finger-prick blood and up to a concentration of 0.01 µg/mL in buffered conditions using the LSPR technique. Furthermore, by changing the biorecognition layer, the use of the developed needle can be extended to other disease biomarkers, and therefore the innovation presented in this work represents a hallmark in the state of the art of lab-on-a-chip biodevices.

The role of enamel proteins in protecting mature human enamel against acidic environments: a double layer force spectroscopy study.

Characterisation of the electrostatic properties of dental enamel is important for understanding the interfacial processes that occur on a tooth surface and how these relate to the natural ability of our teeth to withstand chemical attack from the acids in many soft drinks. Whereas, the role of the mineral component of the tooth enamel in providing this resistance to acid erosion has been studied extensively, the influence of proteins that are also present within the structure is not well understood. In this paper, we report for the first time the use of double-layer force spectroscopy to directly measure electrostatic forces on as received and hydrazine-treated (deproteinated) enamel surfaces in solutions with different pH to determine how the enamel proteins influence acid erosion surface potential and surface charge of human dental enamel. The deproteination of the treated samples was confirmed by the loss of the amide bands (~1,300-1,700 cm(-1)) in the FTIR spectrum of the sample. The force characteristics observed were found to agree with the theory of electrical double layer interaction under the assumption of constant potential and allowed the surface charge per unit area to be determined for the two enamel surfaces. The values and, importantly, the sign of these adsorbed surface charges indicates that the protein content of dental enamel contributes significantly to the electrostatic double layer formation near the tooth surface and in doing so can buffer the apatite crystals against acid attack. Moreover, the electrostatic interactions within this layer are a driving factor for the mineral transfer from the tooth surface and the initial salivary pellicle formation.

Hydrodynamic methods for calibrating the normal spring constant of microcantilevers.

Knowledge of the spring constants of microcantilevers is vital in atomic force microscopy and for cantilever-based devices that are, for example, employed as probes in biomedical applications. We compare two recently developed hydrodynamic methods for the determination of the normal spring constant of microcantilevers. Both approaches are non-invasive when determining the spring constant and require only knowledge of the thermal noise response of the cantilever in a fluid and its plan view dimensions. The methods do not bear the risk of damaging the cantilever and are therefore attractive for example in mass sensing applications in cases where the cantilever has been modified, e.g. with a coating. The specific strengths of the methods are discussed and the results for a variety of cantilevers are presented and compared.

Calibration of the normal spring constant of microcantilevers in a parallel fluid flow.

We demonstrate a novel approach to determine the normal spring constant of microcantilevers. The cantilevers are placed parallel to a fluid flow thus establishing one of the walls of the flow channel. Resonance frequencies are recorded depending on the velocity of the fluid. The pressure gradient resulting from the flow causes the resonance frequency to change. This change can be exploited to deduce the cantilever spring constant with high precision. The method we present can be performed in situ and does not involve any contact of the cantilever with a surface thus having great potential for the calibration of modified probes and for being incorporated in microfluidic systems. In case the spring constant is known, the setup can also be employed to determine the velocity of fluid flows and the flow rate with high precision and up to high speeds.

Particle-surface capillary forces with disjoining pressure.

A new, atomic force microscopy (AFM) based experimental setup for the continuous acquisition of friction force data as a function of humidity has been developed. The current model of interactions between wet contacts under the influence of capillary effects, has been amended to include a vertical component due to the disjoining pressure and takes into account the influence of liquid films adsorbed on the surface. This is a 'switching' model, i.e. the contact between nanometer-sized sphere and a flat surface can exist in two distinct states due to capillary bridge formation/destruction as the humidity is varied. The model has been qualitatively verified on samples of differing wettability produced by UV-ozone treatment of polystyrene (PS). Results of AFM analysis of the friction vs. vapor pressure curves collected from the surface are presented. Correlation between important surface properties such as wettability, adsorption, and contact angle and friction force under varying humidity were found and discussed.