阵列光镊与微流控芯片技术的结合与应用

在生物医学研究领域中,阵列光镊与微流控芯片的结合已经成为进行细胞操纵、转移以及少量细胞样品分选等方面最有希望的方法之一。光镊技术对样品具有非接触弹性控制、无机械损伤、可无菌操作等优势,以及微流控芯片分析的高效、多功能、微型化、低成本等优势,成为芯片实验室(Lab-on-a-Chip)的重要研究方面。该文概述了阵列光镊技术的形成与研究现状以及微流控芯片技术的发展与应用现状,分析了在不同阵列光镊形成方法下结合微流控芯片可实现的功能与应用,并对其发展趋势进行了展望。     

单分子光镊技术在生命科学中的应用

单分子光镊技术是近年来发展起来的一种新型的高分辨率光学技术,可以在单分子水平上实时观测并研究生物大分子或复合物相互作用的动态行为。光镊次毫秒级的时间分辨率和皮牛顿的力分辨率可使我们精确获得中间态、折叠速率(两态迁移速率)、作用力、能量、距离等重要的动力学信息;不同于传统的结构生物学方法,光镊实验是在生理条件下进行的,这些优势都使得光镊技术成为生物物理学领域一项不可或缺的技术手段。该文将主要针对这项单分子光学技术的原理及其在生物动力学上的应用和发展前景作简要介绍。     

光镊技术的研究及生物学应用进展

光镊技术的发明人Ashkin曾预言光镊"将细胞器从它们正常位置移去的能力,为我们打开了精确研究细胞功能的大门".然而仅十余年来,光镊技术的发展远远超越了这一预言.光镊不仅在微米、亚微米尺度粒子的操控与研究中获得重要应用,而且已扩展到纳米尺度,在生物大分子的操控和运动学、动力学特性的研究方面做出了令人瞩目的成果.     

光镊和拉曼光镊在生物医学研究中的应用

光镊是由美国科学家Arthur Ashkin于1986年发明的,是一种利用高度汇聚的激光束产生的三维梯度势阱来俘获、操纵微小粒子的技术。因其可俘获、操纵单个细胞,并在细胞和亚细胞层次上为生物医学研究提供方便,近年来,已越来越多地被应用于生物医学研究中。本文在介绍光镊的原理和特点的基础上,阐述了光镊(尤其是拉曼光镊)技术在生物医学领域中的研究进展、现状和展望。     

光镊技术在生物学中的应用新进展

对流体中的微纳米材料、细胞、生物分子等进行高精度、高灵活性、无损伤操控的技术在生物医学、生物化学、纳米科学等领域的发展中有着重要的作用。作为捕获和操控的核心技术,光镊的发展和应用也越来越广泛。本文系统地描述了各类光镊的工作原理和独特功能,阐述了不同光镊技术在生物学上的应用,讨论了它们在生命科学的发展前景。     

单细胞机械性能检测方法与应用研究进展

细胞机械性能与细胞的生理状态与功能存在密切联系。早期对于细胞机械性能的研究受制于技术条件,只能获得细胞群的弹性或剪切模量,使得少量异质细胞的机械表型被淹没。近年来,单细胞机械性能检测技术得到了蓬勃发展。原子力显微镜、微吸管技术、光镊与光学拉伸、磁扭转流变仪与磁镊等单细胞机械性能检测技术展现出非常高的检测精度,但检测通量相对较低。新型微流控高通量检测方法的出现使检测通量呈几何式增长,有望解决大样本快速检测的需求。本文首先综述原子力显微镜、微吸管、光镊与光学拉伸和磁扭转流变仪与磁镊等单细胞机械性能检测技术。在此基础上,重点介绍细胞过孔、剪切诱导细胞变形和拉伸诱导细胞变形3种新兴微流控高通量检测技术的工作原理及最新研究进展,探讨各类方法的优缺点。最后,本文展望单细胞机械性能检测技术的未来发展方向。     

单光镊技术测量红细胞膜弹性新方法的建立

光镊是对生物样品的力学特性进行研究的方便工具.红细胞膜弹性是血液的生理功能指标.利用单光镊技术我们建立了测量红细胞膜弹性的新方法.利用该方法对红细胞的膜弹性进行测量,该结果与国外文献报道的双光镊法测量结果相一致.对不同浓度氧化苯砷(PAO)处理的红细胞膜弹性进行了测量,测量结果表现出浓度与膜弹性之间有明显的线性关系,证实了这种方法的可行性和灵敏性.     

单细胞分选技术在微生物分离与培养中的应用与展望

自然界相当多的微生物是未培养的,对这些"微生物界暗物质"进行研究,对于研究微生物的进化过程,充分利用微生物资源具有重要意义。对未培养微生物的分离与培养已成为当前国际研究热点,本文对显微操作、荧光活化分选、微流控分选、光镊技术、激光诱导向前转移等可用于微生物分离与培养的技术原理、发展历程进行简单介绍,对比分析了每种分选技术的优点与不足,重点阐述了激光诱导向前转移技术应用于微生物分离的技术优势,并进一步对未来应用于未培养微生物的研究进行了初步展望。     

“中国遗传学会第十届全国激光生物学学术会议”将在武汉召开

会议主题 激光生物学的发展和应用 1学术报告： 大会将邀请院士和特聘教授等作特邀报告和专题报告,并安 排分组交流。第一分会场：包括激光生物学和生物光子学的基础研究,激光生物技术（含微束照射技术、光镊技术、成像技术、光谱技术、共聚焦扫描显微技术、细胞分流技术等）及其仪器的研制、应用。     

燐光探针技术--蛋白质研究的新方法

为了研究蛋白质复杂的结构和特殊的生物学功能,人们采用了各种各样的技术:X-射线衍射技术、圆二色谱技术、超离心技术、各种层析、电泳技术及荧光、烧光光谱技术.这些技术相互补充,相互印证,是研究蛋白质结构、功能和动力学的得力工具.尤其是近年来,由于燐光探针技术在研究水溶液中蛋白质分子疏水微区内不同基团间距离、局部结构柔性、动力学性质及构象变化等独特的优势而引起人们的广泛关注.     

Levitation and movement of human tumor cells using a printed circuit board device based on software-controlled dielectrophoresis

In this study we describe an original, efficient, and innovative printed circuit board (PCB) device able to generate dielectrophoresis-based, software-controlled cages that can be moved to any place inside a microchamber. Depending on their dielectrophoretic properties, eukaryotic cells can be "entrapped" in cages and moved under software control. The main conclusion gathered from the experimental data reported is that the PCB device based on dielectrophoresis permits levitation and movement of different tumor cells at different dielectrophoresis conditions. The results presented herein are therefore the basis for experiments aimed at forced interactions or separation of eukaryotic cells using "lab-on-a-chip." In fact, because many cages can be controlled at the same time, and two or more cages can be forced to share the same or a different location, it is possible, in principle, either to bring in contact cells of a differing histotype or to separate them.     

Design and simulation of a micro-channel for separating the particles with nearly constant dielectrophoretic force in channel space

One of the common approaches for separating the micro-particles is the utilisation of dielectrophoresis (DEP) force. In the present study, a channel structure is introduced in which the controllable electric field is imposed by the use of various voltages to the parallel electrodes in order to finally move the different particles in two opposite sides of the channel. The simulation results reveal that the channel is characterised by the imposition of nearly constant DEP forces in the whole channel, which is the innovation of this work. The samples used for separation are Latex particles with 216 and 557 nm in diameter.     

Investigation of a two‐step device implementing magnetophoresis and dielectrophoresis for separation of circulating tumor cells from blood cells

Identifying tumor cells from a pool of other cells has always been an appealing topic for different purposes. The objective of this study is to discriminate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood cells for diagnostic purposes in a novel microfluidic device using two active methods: magnetophoresis and dielectrophoresis. The most specific feature of this device is the differentiation of CTCs without labeling them in order to achieve a more reliable and less complicated method. This device was analyzed and evaluated using finite element method. Four cell lines are separated in this device containing red blood cells, platelets, white blood cells, and CTCs. Primarily, red blood cells and platelets, which constitute the largest part of a blood sample, are removed in the magnetophoresis section. Remaining cells enter the dielectrophoresis part and based on their inherent dielectric properties and diameters, final separation occurs. In each step, different parameters are examined to obtain the maximum purification. The results demonstrate the potential of different CTCs separation by changing the effective parameters in the designed device based on the inherent properties of the cells.     

Tissue engineering with electric fields: immobilization of mammalian cells in multilayer aggregates using dielectrophoresis

Positive dielectrophoresis can be used to create aggregates of animal cells with 3D architectures. It is shown that the cells, when pulled together into an aggregate by positive dielectrophoresis in a low-conductivity iso-osmotic solution, adhere to each other. The adherence of the cells to each other is non-specific and increases in time, and after 10-15 min becomes strong enough to immobilize the cells in the aggregate, enabling the ac electric field to be released, and the iso-osmotic buffer to be replaced by growth or other media. Cell viability is maintained. The new method of immobilization significantly simplifies the construction of aggregates of animal cells by dielectrophoresis, and increases the utility of dielectrophoresis in tissue engineering and related areas.     

Applications of dielectrophoretic/electrohydrodynamic "zipper" electrodes for detection of biological nanoparticles

A major problem for surface-based detection techniques such as surface plasmon resonance and quartz crystal microbalances is that at low concentrations, diffusion is an insufficient driving force to bring colloidal submicron-scale particles to the detection surface. In order to overcome this, it has previously been demonstrated that a combination of dielectrophoresis and AC-electro-hydrodynamic flow can be used to focus cell-sized particles from suspension onto a large metal surface, in order to improve the detection capabilities of such systems. In this paper we describe how the combination of these two phenomena, using the so-called "zipper" electrode array, can be used to concentrate a wide range of nanoparticles of biological interest, such as influenza virus, dissolved albumin, and DNA molecules as well as latex beads of various sizes. We also demonstrate that the speed at which particles are transported towards the centre of the electrode pads by dielectrophoresis and electro-hydrodynamic flow is not related to the particle size for colloidal particles.     

Chloroplast dielectrophoresis

Dielectrophoretic coefficients of chloroplasts, untreated and treated with cationized ferritin, have been measured in axisymmetric ac electric fields at different frequencies. The treated chloroplasts have surface charge density 2.4 times smaller than the untreated ones.The dielectrophoretic coefficients are in the range 10^-25 F · m² to 7x10^-25 F · m² for frequencies from 6,000 Hz to 1 MHz. Dielectrophoretic effects have not been observed for frequencies from 1 to 6,000 Hz and from 1 MHz and 10 MHz. The surface charge decrease leads to an increase of 2–3 times in the dielectrophoretic coefficients and slight shift of the dielectrophoretic mobility of lower frequencies.These results may be qualitatively explained on the basis of the existing theories for cell and vesicle dielectrophoresis.Abbreviations DCMU 3-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-1,1-Dymethylurea - EDTA Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - HEPES (N-2 Hydroxyethylpiperozine-N-2-ethanesulphonic acid) - MES (2[N-morpholino]ethane sulfonic acid) - TRICINE (N-tris[Hydroxymethyl]methyl glycine) - DMPA (N,N-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine)     

Construction of biofilms with defined internal architecture using dielectrophoresis and flocculation

A novel approach was developed for the construction of biofilms with defined internal architecture using AC electrokinetics and flocculation. Artificial structured microbial consortia (ASMC) consisting of localized layered microcolonies of different cell types were formed by sequentially attracting different cell types to high field regions near microelectrodes using dielectrophoresis. Stabilization of the microbial consortia on the electrode surface was achieved by crosslinking the cells using the flocculant polyethyleneimine (PEI). Consortia of Escherichia coli, Micrococcus luteus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were made as model systems. Also, more natural consortia were made of the bacteria Pseudomonas putida, Clavibacter michiganense, and Methylobacterium mesophilum, which are found together in consortia during biodegradation of metal-cutting waste fluids.     

Cytoplasmic conductivity as a marker for bioprocess monitoring: Study of Chinese hamster ovary cells under nutrient deprivation and reintroduction

The ability to monitor the status of cells during nutrient limitation is important for optimizing bioprocess growth conditions in batch and fed-batch cultures. The activity level of Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase pumps and cytoplasm ionic concentrations are directly influenced by the nutrient level, and thus, cytoplasm conductivity can be used as a markerless indicator of cell status. In this work, we monitored the change in cytoplasm conductivity of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells during nutrient deprivation and reintroduction. Employing single cell dielectrophoresis, the change in cytoplasm conductivity was measured over a 48-hr period. The conditions under which the cytoplasm conductivity would recover to a normal level after nutrient reintroduction was determined. In addition, numerical simulations of cell ion flux, for different levels of Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase pump inhibition, were used to predict the minimum conductivity expected for nutrient-deprived CHO cells. This predicted value is close to the minimum observed experimental cytoplasm conductivity for CHO cells that maintain the ability to restore the cytoplasm conductivity to the normal viable levels when nutrients are reintroduced. The recovery of starved cells was verified by reintroducing them to nutrient for 36 hr and measuring their proliferation using trypan blue exclusion assay. We conclude that cytoplasm conductivity can be used as a marker to indicate whether cells are in a recoverable state, such that the reintroduction of nutrients results in cells returning to a normal healthy state.