Introduction In response to recent requests by our reviewers, I am looking to address two main concerns: 1) How does a collagen gel backing affect leukocyte transmigration, and 2) How does shear influence leukocyte transmigration. While we believe these areas are rich in information and need a significant amount of focus to tackle, we do…
As a proof of principal experiment, we wanted to test if Kilean and I could extract RNA from exosomes following their capture on 1298 membranes. As noted in Figure 1, we first used ultrafiltration to capture exosomes on the nanoporous membrane. We then attempted exosome lysis and RNA release by flowing the lysate below the…
Optimization of the PLL-g-PEG coating on SiO2 substrate: The first goal was developing an efficient method for PLL-g-PEG coating which provides a high density of PLL-g-PEG grafting on SiO2 substrate and effectively prevent cell adhesion. To achieve this goal, different concentrations of PLL-g-PEG in 10mM HEPES solution ranging from 0.1 to 0.9 mg/ml (0.1, 0.3,…
Okay, so after navigating this weird new method for posting, I have a semi interesting post today. I have been working on the experimental validation of my COMSOL predicted capture results and have finally completed the first round of those experiments (I say this after looking at the data). The experiments have been carried out…
So as most of you know by now, I have been working on developing microfluidic systems to study the leukocyte-endothelial interactions in vitro. I have developed systems that can facilitate the basic biological assays involving neutrophil migration and live-imaging. In this blog, I am presenting the latest (and the last) results on the effects of…
A collaborator of mine is interested in arranging quantum dots on a surface to demonstrate something called super irradiance. All of the sub-resolution particles could emit as one object (think laser) if the conditions are just so. Ideally, a bunch of quantum dots would be stacked closely together (but not touching) in a repeating fashion….
Cody Soule (MS student) developed/applied a protocol to functionalize the surface of a silicon oxide membrane. The process selectively attaches PNIPAM to the surface of the membrane, maintaining the pore characteristics unchanged. PNIPAM undergoes a configuration transition when going from 37C to RT, from collapsed to extended. It has been previously used to lift-off confluent…
Adeel and I summarized our key takeaways from the BMES in this post. I personally tried to attend organ on a chip talks and posters, which included a micro- or nano-porous membrane or a micro/nano-structured co-culture system. I tried to identify weaknesses and strengths to highlight our potential opportunities to contribute, and to improve our…
MATLAB updated the way that it creates GUI applications back in 2015, and it is increasingly becoming more functional. Over the years I have been here, we have had more than a few requests to use our pore processing software. I have sent it out, but it’s not as intuitive for some people to use…
Hello everyone, Aslan and I attended talks regarding EVs enrichment which can be divided into two broad categories depending on their ability to recover and reuse the EVS or not. There is a recent review called “New technologies for analysis of extracellular vesicles” published this year on Chemical Reviews. Their breakdown of the different methods…