Extraction and isolation of nucleic acids from biological samples is an essential prerequisite for further amplification, detection and quantification of specific genetic sequences. The first step in ...
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Cellular ecology is a major factor in processes like cell signaling and transport as well as in the development and progression of systemic diseases like cancer. In situ, in vitro studies are becoming...
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Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to generate copies of a particular DNA sequence. The technique is common and indispensable in many research applications. Unfortunately, methods for isolating/p...
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Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are cells shed from tumor deposits that flow into the bloodstream. They are detected at a frequency of about one CTC per one billion surrounding blood cells. The great h...
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The ability to study single cells has become indispensable, helping researchers identify characteristics and behaviors otherwise hidden using population averages. By obtaining multiple measures per ce...
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Cellular interactions and signaling in multicellular organisms involve complex pathways that can be difficult to study when using macroscale in vitro culture systems, in part because traditional macro...
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Isolating analytes from complex biological samples is one of the most crucial steps in many areas of biological research and clinical diagnostics. Paramagnetic particles (PMPs) or beads are important ...
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For diagnosis and research it often is necessary to isolate a subset of cells from a sample that contains bodily fluids, contaminants, tissue and other types of cells. For example, determining a pati...
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Investigation of cells, biochemicals and other samples by microfluidic devices stands to aid a full spectrum of research, from global HIV initiatives to the development of new drugs. Such devices prov...
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Identifying pathways involved in human diseases is the first step in the discovery of targets for therapy and diagnostics. Cell-based assays conducted in vitro are powerful tools in this process. Reco...
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The cellular-scale engineering that undergirds microfluidic systems has provided researchers with efficient tools for the analysis and manipulation of cells in vitro minisculo. Methods and devices ref...
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Despite the growing interest in the natural interactions between different cellular compartments— and the increasing need to model these phenomena in vitro—no method currently in practice in biolo...
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Oral ingestion of pharmaceuticals is considered the safest, most convenient and most economical method of administering drugs. However, many pharmaceuticals cannot be delivered orally because they are...
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Currently, no simple methods for the economical construction of complex microsystems exist. Some feedback systems have been constructed, but their complicated fabrication hinders their application.
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Responsive hydrogels can respond to external stimuli such as temperature, pH, photons and antigens, which makes them applicable as functional materials in drug/gene delivery devices, microlenses and s...
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The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of a compound is the lowest dose that prevents the growth of a cell during a set time interval. Because of the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria and ...
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Microfluidic devices are miniature systems that pump, mix, monitor and control small quantities of liquids. These systems have a number of applications, including painless drug delivery and analysis o...
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Effective isolation of nucleic acids from biological samples is an essential prerequisite for efficient downstream amplification, detection and quantification of specific genetic sequences via quantit...
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Molecule-molecule interactions, including interactions between proteins, nucleic acids and other small molecules, are important in a variety of cellular events. A number of physical, molecular biologi...
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Quantifying cell adhesion strength is crucial for the development of implantable biomaterials and tissue scaffolds, as well as in understanding many fundamental physiological and disease processes. Ho...
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Now that complete sequence information is available for many organisms, researchers are focusing on the analysis of single genomic DNA molecules. A key issue in this analysis is how to unravel and mar...
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Microfluidic systems and methods can provide many functions of larger systems and facilities, such as entire laboratories, with increased efficiency as well as reduced size, cost and complexity. Such ...
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Several methods have been developed for pumping fluid through the channels of microfluidic devices. The most popular of these involves electrokinetic flow, which is accomplished by conducting electric...
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Detecting chemical and biological agents at low levels is important in military applications, drug enforcement, airport security and environmental monitoring.  A variety of devices and methods cu...
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One component of lab-on-a-chip technology is on-chip microlenses for optical analysis. Prior investigators have demonstrated tiny optical lenses with variable focal lengths. These lenses use specializ...
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