scholarly journals Efficient Development of Integrated Lab-On-A-Chip Systems Featuring Operational Robustness and Manufacturability

Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 886
Author(s):  
Jens Ducrée
Keyword(s):  
Technology Development ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Regulatory Compliance ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
Application Development ◽  
Niche Markets ◽  
Point Of Use ◽  
Technology Migration

The majority of commercially oriented microfluidic technologies provide novel point-of-use solutions for laboratory automation with important areas in the context of the life sciences such as health care, biopharma, veterinary medicine and agrifood as well as for monitoring of the environment, infrastructures and industrial processes. Such systems are often composed of a modular setup exhibiting an instrument accommodating rather conventional actuation, detection and control units which interfaces with a fluidically integrated “Lab-on-a-Chip” device handling (bio-)sample(s) and reagents. As the complex network of tiny channels, chambers and surface-functionalised zones can typically not be properly cleaned and regenerated, these microfluidic chips are mostly devised as single-use disposables. The availability of cost-efficient materials and associated structuring, functionalisation and assembly schemes thus represents a key ingredient along the commercialisation pipeline and will be a first focus of this work. Furthermore, and owing to their innate variability, investigations on biosamples mostly require the acquisition of statistically relevant datasets. Consequently, intermediate numbers of consistently performing chips are already needed during application development; to mitigate the potential pitfalls of technology migration and to facilitate regulatory compliance of the end products, manufacture of such pilot series should widely follow larger-scale production schemes. To expedite and de-risk the development of commercially relevant microfluidic systems towards high Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), we illustrate a streamlined, manufacturing-centric platform approach employing the paradigms of tolerance-forgiving Design-for-Manufacture (DfM) and Readiness for Scale-up (RfS) from prototyping to intermediate pilot series and eventual mass fabrication. Learning from mature industries, we further propose pursuing a platform approach incorporating aspects of standardisation in terms of specification, design rules and testing methods for materials, components, interfaces, and operational procedures; this coherent strategy will foster the emergence of dedicated commercial supply chains and also improve the economic viability of Lab-on-a-Chip systems often targeting smaller niche markets by synergistically bundling technology development.

scholarly journals Transient Flow Dynamics in Optical Micro Well Involving Gas Bubbles

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Johnson ◽  
C. P. Chen ◽  
A. Jenkins ◽  
S. Spearing ◽  
L. A. Monaco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transient Flow ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Mass Conservation ◽  
Flow Dynamics ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Pressure Pulsations ◽  
Application Development ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Bubble Removal

The Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development (LOCAD) team at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is utilizing Lab-On-a-Chip to support technology development specifically for Space Exploration. In this paper, we investigate the transient two-phase flow patterns in an optic well configuration with an entrapped bubble through numerical simulation. Specifically, the filling processes of a liquid inside an expanded chamber that has bubbles entrapped. Due to the back flow created by channel expansion, the entrapped bubbles tend to stay stationary at the immediate downstream of the expansion. Due to the huge difference between the gas and liquid densities, mass conservation issues associated with numerical diffusion need to be specially addressed. The results are presented in terms of the movement of the bubble through the optic well. Bubble removal strategies are developed that involve only pressure gradients across the optic well. Results show that for the bubble to be moved through the well, pressure pulsations must be utilized in order to create pressure gradients across the bubble itself.

Solid Lipid Nanoparticles: A Promising Drug Delivery Technology

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 509-516
Author(s):  
S. Pragati ◽  
S. Kuldeep ◽  
S. Ashok ◽  
M. Satheesh
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Solid Lipid Nanoparticles ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Colloidal Particles ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Lipid Nanoparticles ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Solid Lipid

One of the situations in the treatment of disease is the delivery of efficacious medication of appropriate concentration to the site of action in a controlled and continual manner. Nanoparticle represents an important particulate carrier system, developed accordingly. Nanoparticles are solid colloidal particles ranging in size from 1 to 1000 nm and composed of macromolecular material. Nanoparticles could be polymeric or lipidic (SLNs). Industry estimates suggest that approximately 40% of lipophilic drug candidates fail due to solubility and formulation stability issues, prompting significant research activity in advanced lipophile delivery technologies. Solid lipid nanoparticle technology represents a promising new approach to lipophile drug delivery. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are important advancement in this area. The bioacceptable and biodegradable nature of SLNs makes them less toxic as compared to polymeric nanoparticles. Supplemented with small size which prolongs the circulation time in blood, feasible scale up for large scale production and absence of burst effect makes them interesting candidates for study. In this present review this new approach is discussed in terms of their preparation, advantages, characterization and special features.

Recombinant Protein Production in Microalgae: Emerging Trends

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niaz Ahmad ◽  
Muhammad Aamer Mehmood ◽  
Sana Malik
Keyword(s):  
Chloroplast Genome ◽  
Recombinant Proteins ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Chloroplast Transformation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Nuclear Transformation ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Algal Chloroplast

: In recent years, microalgae have emerged as an alternative platform for large-scale production of recombinant proteins for different commercial applications. As a production platform, it has several advantages, including rapid growth, easily scale up and ability to grow with or without the external carbon source. Genetic transformation of several species has been established. Of these, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has become significantly attractive for its potential to express foreign proteins inexpensively. All its three genomes – nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplastic – have been sequenced. As a result, a wealth of information about its genetic machinery, protein expression mechanism (transcription, translation and post-translational modifications) is available. Over the years, various molecular tools have been developed for the manipulation of all these genomes. Various studies show that the transformation of the chloroplast genome has several advantages over nuclear transformation from the biopharming point of view. According to a recent survey, over 100 recombinant proteins have been expressed in algal chloroplasts. However, the expression levels achieved in the algal chloroplast genome are generally lower compared to the chloroplasts of higher plants. Work is therefore needed to make the algal chloroplast transformation commercially competitive. In this review, we discuss some examples from the algal research, which could play their role in making algal chloroplast commercially successful.

scholarly journals Pilot-Scale Production of Chito-Oligosaccharides Using an Innovative Recombinant Chitosanase Preparation Approach

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 290
Author(s):  
Chih-Yu Cheng ◽  
Chia-Huang Tsai ◽  
Pei-Jyun Liou ◽  
Chi-Hang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Cell Density ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Ionic Concentration ◽  
Dihydrogen Phosphate ◽  
Scale Production ◽  
Sodium Dihydrogen Phosphate ◽  
Selective Precipitation ◽  
Pilot Scale Production

For pilot-scale production of chito-oligosaccharides, it must be cost-effective to prepare designable recombinant chitosanase. Herein, an efficient method for preparing recombinant Bacillus chitosanase from Escherichia coli by elimination of undesirable substances as a precipitate is proposed. After an optimized culture with IPTG (Isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside) induction, the harvested cells were resuspended, disrupted by sonication, divided by selective precipitation, and stored using the same solution conditions. Several factors involved in these procedures, including ion types, ionic concentration, pH, and bacterial cell density, were examined. The optimal conditions were inferred to be pH = 4.5, 300 mM sodium dihydrogen phosphate, and cell density below 1011 cells/mL. Finally, recombinant chitosanase was purified to >70% homogeneity with an activity recovery and enzyme yield of 90% and 106 mg/L, respectively. When 10 L of 5% chitosan was hydrolyzed with 2500 units of chitosanase at ambient temperature for 72 h, hydrolyzed products having molar masses of 833 ± 222 g/mol with multiple degrees of polymerization (chito-dimer to tetramer) were obtained. This work provided an economical and eco-friendly preparation of recombinant chitosanase to scale up the hydrolysis of chitosan towards tailored oligosaccharides in the near future.

Electrokinetic Focusing and Dispensing of Particles and Cells on Microfluidic Chips

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangchun Xuan ◽  
Edmond W. K. Young ◽  
Dongqing Li
Keyword(s):  
Red Blood Cells ◽  
Analytical Model ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
Sample Stream ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
Electrical Pulses

This work investigated the electrokinetic focusing and dispensing of polystyrene particles and red blood cells on microfluidic chips. Particles or cells were first electrokinetically focused using the merging of focusing streams on the sample stream, and subsequently separated as a result of the focusing. These particles or cells were then selectively dispensed from the focused sample stream using precise application of electrical pulses. The whole process of focusing, separation and dispensing of particles was visualized by a custom-made microscopy system. In particular, the width of the focused fluorescein stream and the accelerated electrophoretic motion of particles and cells were measured in a cross-channel and compared with a proposed analytical model. The electrokinetic manipulation of particles and cells demonstrated in this work can be used for developing integrated lab-on-a-chip devices for studies of cells.

scholarly journals Video Scanning Hartmann Optical Testing of State-of-the-Art Parabolic Trough Concentrators

Solar Energy ◽  
2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Wendelin ◽  
Ken May ◽  
Randy Gee
Keyword(s):  
Technology Development ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Test System ◽  
Optical Testing ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Energy Needs ◽  
World Energy ◽  
Optical Test ◽  
And Performance

Significant progress has been made recently in solar parabolic trough technology development and deployment. Part of this success is due to the changing world energy scenario and the recognition that viable renewable energy technologies can play a role in supplying world energy needs. Part is also due to ongoing collaborative efforts by industry and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Concentrating Solar Power Program (CSP) to enhance the state of the technology in terms of both cost and performance. Currently, there are two trough concentrator projects which the DOE CSP program is supporting. One company, Solargenix, is developing a design to be used in a 64MW plant outside of Boulder City, Nevada. This design is based on the original LUZ LS-2 trough concentrators employed at the Solar Electric Generating Systems (SEGS) plants in Southern California. Another company, Industrial Solar Technology (IST), is working on a scale-up of their design used historically for process heat applications. Very different from the LS-2 approach, this design is still in the research and development stages. One way in which the DOE CSP parabolic trough program assists industry is by providing optical testing and qualification of their concentrator designs. This paper describes the Video Scanning Hartmann Optical Test System (VSHOT) used to optically test both of these designs. The paper also presents the results of tests performed in the past year and what impact the testing has had on the developmental direction of each design.

scholarly journals Final Report, Project: Advanced Oxy-Combustion Technology Development and Scale Up for New and Existing Coal-Fired Power Plants (Phase II)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Fitzsimmons ◽  
Doug M. Heim ◽  
William Follett ◽  
Stevan Jovanovic ◽  
Makini Byron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Ii ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Combustion Technology

scholarly journals Lab-on-a-Chip Systems for Aptamer-Based Biosensing

Micromachines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niazul I. Khan ◽  
Edward Song
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Microfluidic Chips ◽  
High Affinity ◽  
Sensing Platforms ◽  
Personal Medicine ◽  
Paper Based Microfluidics ◽  
Recognition Elements ◽  
Analyte Detection

Aptamers are oligonucleotides or peptides that are selected from a pool of random sequences that exhibit high affinity toward a specific biomolecular species of interest. Therefore, they are ideal for use as recognition elements and ligands for binding to the target. In recent years, aptamers have gained a great deal of attention in the field of biosensing as the next-generation target receptors that could potentially replace the functions of antibodies. Consequently, it is increasingly becoming popular to integrate aptamers into a variety of sensing platforms to enhance specificity and selectivity in analyte detection. Simultaneously, as the fields of lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology, point-of-care (POC) diagnostics, and personal medicine become topics of great interest, integration of such aptamer-based sensors with LOC devices are showing promising results as evidenced by the recent growth of literature in this area. The focus of this review article is to highlight the recent progress in aptamer-based biosensor development with emphasis on the integration between aptamers and the various forms of LOC devices including microfluidic chips and paper-based microfluidics. As aptamers are extremely versatile in terms of their utilization in different detection principles, a broad range of techniques are covered including electrochemical, optical, colorimetric, and gravimetric sensing as well as surface acoustics waves and transistor-based detection.

scholarly journals Industrial lab-on-a-chip: Design, applications and scale-up for drug discovery and delivery

2013 ◽  
Vol 65 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 1626-1663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goran T. Vladisavljević ◽  
Nauman Khalid ◽  
Marcos A. Neves ◽  
Takashi Kuroiwa ◽  
Mitsutoshi Nakajima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Discovery ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Chip Design
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