Introduction Motivation: We want to assess if the bladder cancer cell line T24 would influence the baseline characteristics of bladder epithelial cells (BdEC, a.k.a. ATCC® PCS-420-010™) when the two cell types are cultured together. Ultimately, we are interested if the T24 induces BdEC malignancy (turning the normal epithelial cells cancerous). The ultimately test of malignancy would…
One advantage of our slot nanomembranes is that we can readily image microparticulate debris with simple light microscopy. With that in mind, it should be straightforward to have some image processing along with our microspectroscopy to separate out different particles on the membrane. I used WEKA segmentation (a feature of Fiji) to identify a few…
Tom came up with this idea of using these membrane with precise thickness and pore size control to obtain a critical thickness and pore size, beyond which neutrophils cannot go transmigrate. N-Formylmethionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) was used in the lower channel to serve as a chemotactic factor for transmigration. Additionally, for membranes with pore sizes or thicknesses…
Parylene-C is a biocompatible, inert, FDA-approved and nondegradable material, which can be used to fabricate mechanically robust thin membranes. Parylene is used in the medical device industry for coating implantable devices and in the microelectronics industry as insulator. Furthermore, it has been used in biomedical research for a wide variety of applications. In addition, parylene-C…
Introduction: Fibroblasts: Dermal fibroblasts are cells within the dermis layer of skin which are responsible for generating connective tissue and allowing the skin to recover from injury. A fibroblast is a type of biological cell that synthesizes the extracellular matrix and collagen, produces the structural framework (stroma) for animal tissues, and plays a critical role in wound healing. Fibroblasts are…
Introduction Briefly, we are looking at the potential effects polarized delivery of TNF-α might have on various aspects of the microvascular endothelium and the neutrophil based innate immune response. The rationale behind this study is past sepsis (a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection) therapeutics may all together block your…
Introduction & Background Parylene is a polymer stemming from the chemical-vapor-deposited poly(p-xylylene) group. This polymer treatment is applied as a gas which allows complete and uniform coatings of substrates with even nanoscale features. Parylene treatment is widely used as it offers a chemically and biologically inert layer with excellent electrical properties, and additionally acts as…
Overview Analysis of blood has long proven to provide insight into the health of the respective patient. Arduously researched, many components of blood have arisen as markers of health. These include various biomarkers such as proteins, antibodies, and cell derived vesicles, but also include ion concentrations. While the library of markers is vast and continuously…
We have long maintained that we can capture more analyte from a sample using a flow-through configuration compared to a tangential configuration. We can confirm this view quantitatively by measuring the amount of material captured on the membrane with equal source flow rates. Additionally, one of the advantages of a silicon-based platform is that we can…
Background Hemolysis is the leading cause of unusable laboratory blood samples; accounting for approximately 55% of all unusable samples [1]. Hemolysis can affect lab results by interfering with light absorption of spectroscopic tests, or by releasing analytes into the plasma sample resulting in a false reading [2]. The syringe used to draw blood from a…