Search results for " Printing"

Luminometric Sub-nanoliter Droplet-to-droplet Arrays (LUMDA-chip) for Drug Screening on Phase I Metabolism Enzymes

2013

Here we show the fabrication of the Luminometric Sub-nanoliter Droplet-to-droplet Array (LUMDA chip) by inkjet printing. The chip is easy to be implemented and allows for amultiplexed multi-step biochemical assay in sub-nanoliter liquid spots. This concept is here applied to the integral membrane enzyme CYP3A4, i.e. themost relevant enzymatic target for phase I drug metabolism, and to some structurally-related inhibitors.

Printing Biology for Advanced Synthetic Biosystem

2019

Printing technologies represent a powerful tool for the direct micro- and nano- fabrication of biomolecular structures at the interface between life and materials sciences (Arrabito et al., 2012). Their continuous development over the last years has permitted the onset of man-made biosystems with customizable dimensions (from the micron-scale down to the nanometer scale), composition (organic molecules, DNA, proteins, phospholipids), and relevant functions (molecular interactions, drug screening, cellular biointerfaces, cell-like compartments). In this work, we show the possibility to leverage the fabrication of a wide class of solid-supported or liquid-liquid based synthetic compartments b…

Micro and Nano patterns for Biosensing: from enzymatic assays to single cells interaction arrays

2012

In this thesis work, solution dispensing techniques have been employed for the realization of complex biological arrays. Inkjet printing techniques were employed for the generation of drug screening platforms. This approach was initially proved with a model enzyme system like Glucose Oxidase substrate covalently linked to a functionalized silicon oxide support. On this support an enzymatic substrate (D-glucose)/inhibitor (D-glucal) couple was accurately dispensed. A simple optical detection method was used to prove the screening capability of the microarray with the possibility to assay with high reproducibility at the single spot level. Afterwards, this methodology has been extended to CYP…

Metodologie da stampa a getto d'inchiostro per la fabbricazione di substrati SERS

2019

Uno degli argomenti di maggiore interesse della Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) è il controllo del posizionamento su superficie degli “hot spots” – le zone interstiziali fra aggregati di particelle metalliche che producono un aumento locale del segnale Raman. I substrati SERS consistono tipicamente in una matrice di hot-spots ad alta densità sui quali volumi macroscopici (>1 µL) di molecole di analita sono disperse. Questo approccio porta ad una alta invasività ed una distribuzione non uniforme dell’analita a causa dei flussi capillari. In questo lavoro, viene sviluppata una nuova piattaforma SERS realizzata da stampa a getto d’inchiostro2 in cui una miscela di un analita SERS…

High-throughput screening at the picoliter scale by combining Dip Pen Lithography with Inkjet printing

Drug screening is a complex, expensive and time consuming field consisting of diseasebased target identification in conjunction with high-throughput screening of chemical and natural product libraries. Conventional drug screening technology is usually time and reagent consuming (micro-, nanoliter scale) and is based on complex liquid handling robotics. In this work, we show a low-cost and miniaturized drug screening methodology based on direct bio-printing methodologies like Inkjet Printing and Dip Pen Lithography. We show the possibility to precisely deliver femtoliter scale droplets of protein targets by Dip Pen Lithography by finely tuning deposition parameters. This allows obtaining mic…

Knowledge formalization and recommendation in computational design synthesis for 4D printing

2022

Coined in 2013, 4D printing is considered as a promising technology that combines additive manufacturing (AM) processes and smart materials (SMs). Through this technology objects can change over time in terms of functionalities, shape, or properties under the effect of energy stimulation. Although AM processes allow shape, hierarchical, functional, and materials complexities to the 3D objects, the conjunction with SMs provides much more freedom in designing adaptive/transformative structures. Over the last decade, a growing body of research with ad hoc proofs-of-concept have been proposed at the physical level (i.e., by using different AM processes with commercial or customized 3D printers …

BIO Bragg gratings on microfibers for label-free biosensing

2021

[EN] Discovering nanoscale phenomena to sense biorecognition events introduces new perspectives to exploit nano science and nanotechnology for bioanalytical purposes. Here we present Bio Bragg Gratings (BBGs), a novel biosensing approach that consists of diffractive structures of protein bioreceptors patterned on the surface of optical waveguides, and tailored to transduce the magnitude of biorecognition assays into the intensity of single peaks in the reflection spectrum. This work addresses the design, fabrication, and optimization of this system by both theoretical and experimental studies to explore the fundamental physicochemical parameters involved. Functional biomolecular gratings ar…

Guided hierarchical co-assembly of soft patchy nanoparticles.

2013

Different polymers can be used in combination to produce coexisting nanoparticles of different symmetry and tailored to co-assemble into well-ordered binary and ternary hierarchical structures. There is considerable practical interest in developing the tools to fabricate multicomponent artificial systems that mimic the hierarchical ordering seen in the natural world — complex biomaterials can be assembled from the simple but precisely defined molecular building blocks. Andre Groschel and colleagues have developed a bottom-up approach that's a step in that direction. Previously they designed simple linear polymers that self-assemble in solution to produce monodisperse nanoparticles with well…

3D printing novel in vitro cancer cell culture model systems for lung cancer stem cell study

2021

Two-dimensional (2D) in vitro cell cultures and laboratory animals have been used traditionally as the gold-standard preclinical cancer model systems. However, for cancer stem cell (CSC) studies, they exhibit notable limitations on simulating native environment, which depreciate their translatability for clinical development purposes. In this study, different three-dimensional (3D) printing platforms were used to establish novel 3D cell cultures enriched in CSCs from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and cell lines. Rigid scaffolds with an elevated compressive modulus and uniform pores and channels were produced using different filaments. Hydrogel-based scaffolds were printed with…

Effect of silane coupling treatment on the adhesion between polyamide and epoxy based composites reinforced with carbon fibers

2020

The increasing efforts aimed to design structures with reduced weight and better mechanical performances has led in recent years to a growing use of fiber reinforced polymer materials in several fields such as marine. However, these materials can be composed of chemically very different elements and, hence, may be difficult to joint. This research aims to improve the adhesion between a thermoplastic matrix of polyamide reinforced with short carbon fibers (PA12-CR) and a carbon fiber reinforced epoxy matrix (CFRP). Two different silane coupling agents, (3-Aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (AM) and (3-Glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (EP), were applied, through the spray deposition method, on th…