-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A liquid crystalline elastomer-carbon nanotube (LCE-CNT) composite displays a reversible shape change property in response to light. The development of some systems such as tactile devices requires localised actuation of this material. A method is reported that combines mechanical stretching and thermal crosslinking of an LCE-CNT for creating sufficiently well-aligned liquid crystal units to produce localised actuation. The method demonstrates that it is feasible to optically drive a LCE-CNT film within a localised area, since only the walls of the stretched parts of the film contain aligned LC domains.
Macromolecular Rapid Communications 12/2011; 32(24):1953-9. · 4.60 Impact Factor
-
Small 03/2011; 7(5):558-62. · 8.35 Impact Factor
-
01/2011;
-
01/2011;
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Measures to prevent assisted reproductive technologies (ART) mix-ups, such as labeling of all labware and double-witnessing protocols, are currently in place in fertility clinics worldwide. Technological solutions for electronic witnessing are also being developed. However, none of these solutions eliminate the risk of identification errors, because gametes and embryos must be transferred between containers several times during an ART cycle. Thus, the objective of this study was to provide a proof of concept for a direct embryo labeling system using silicon-based barcodes.
Three different types of silicon-based barcodes (A, B and C) were designed and manufactured, and microinjected into the perivitelline space of mouse pronuclear embryos (one to four barcodes per embryo). Embryos were cultured in vitro until the blastocyst stage, and rates of embryo development, retention of the barcodes in the perivitelline space and embryo identification were assessed every 24 h. Release of the barcodes after embryo hatching was also determined. Finally, embryos microinjected with barcodes were frozen and thawed at the 2-cell stage to test the validity of the system after cryopreservation.
Barcodes present in the perivitelline space, independently of their type and number, did not affect embryo development rates. The majority of embryos (>90%) retained at least one of the microinjected barcodes in their perivitelline space up to the blastocyst stage. Increasing the number of barcodes per embryo resulted in a significant increase in embryo identification rates, but a significant decrease in the barcode release rates after embryo hatching. The highest rates of successful embryo identification (97%) were achieved with the microinjection of four type C barcodes, and were not affected by cryopreservation.
Our results demonstrate the feasibility of a direct embryo labeling system and constitute the starting point in the development of such systems.
Human Reproduction 11/2010; 26(1):96-105. · 4.47 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Microchips can be fabricated, using semiconductor technologies, at microscopic level to be introduced into living cells for monitoring of intracellular parameters at a single cell level. As a first step towards intracellular chips development, silicon and polysilicon microparticles of controlled shape and dimensions were fabricated and introduced into human macrophages and mouse embryos by phagocytosis and microinjection, respectively. Microparticles showed to be non-cytotoxic for macrophages and were found to be localized mainly inside early endosomes, in tight association with endosomal membrane, and more rarely in acidic compartments. Embryos with microinjected microparticles developed normally to the blastocyst stage, confirming the non-cytotoxic effect of the particles. In view of these results silicon and polysilicon microparticles can serve as the frame for future intracellular chips development and this technology opens the possibility of real complex devices to be used as sensors or actuators inside living cells.
Biomedical Microdevices 06/2010; 12(3):371-9. · 3.03 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Two MEMS structures—a cantilever beam and a quad-beam—have been designed and fabricated through a three-step deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process. Devices feature target patterns to align with an external optical detection system and a micromachined cavity to embed an NdFeB hard mini-magnet, thus releasing the stress of structures. Structures are intended for magnetostatic gradient measurements. Induced magnetic fields generate an attracting force on the magnet that deflects the sensor. Deflection is optically detected through nanometer-resolution confocal microscopy. The static-mode sensitivity of up to 1.86 × 10−4 T m−1 demonstrates that MEMS gradiometers are able to perform in situ gradiometry with a single sensor and miniaturized size. Suitable techniques for integrated detection are discussed.
Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering 05/2010; 20(7):075006. · 2.11 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Cell handling is currently hindered by rudimentary-manufactured manipulators. Restrictive designs of glass pipettes and other micromanipulators limit functionality and often damage cells, ultimately resulting in lysis. We present a novel technique to design and mill conventional glass pipettes at specifically chosen angles and geometries. Focus ion beam milling by Ga+ ions yields extremely polished edges. Results from mouse embryo piercing correlate increased penetration rates with decreased pipette angle. Milled pipettes maintain structural integrity after repeated piercing. For the first time, the effects of unintentionally implanted Ga+ on embryo development are addressed. Optimum embryo development up to blastocyst stage after manipulation reveal little impact of residual implanted Ga+, suggesting biocompatibility and paving the way to introducing ion milling techniques in the biomedical device arena. The milling technique can be adequately tailored to specific applications and allows for mass production, presenting a promising avenue for future, increasingly demanding, cell handling.
Biomedical Microdevices 04/2010; 12(2):311-6. · 3.03 Impact Factor
-
Rodrigo Gómez-Martínez,
Patricia Vázquez,
Marta Duch,
Alejandro Muriano,
Daniel Pinacho,
Nuria Sanvicens,
Francisco Sánchez-Baeza,
Patricia Boya,
Enrique J de la Rosa, Jaume Esteve,
Teresa Suárez,
José A Plaza
Small 12/2009; 6(4):499-502. · 8.35 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: During the past decade, diverse types of barcode have been designed in order to track living cells in vivo or in vitro, but none of them offer the possibility to follow an individual cell up to ten or more days. Using silicon microtechnologies a barcode sufficiently small to be introduced into a cell, yet visible and readily identifiable under an optical microscope, is designed. Cultured human macrophages are able to engulf the barcodes due to their phagocytic ability and their viability is not affected. The utility of the barcodes for cell tracking is demonstrated by following individual cells for up to ten days in culture and recording their locomotion. Interestingly, silicon microtechnology allows the mass production of reproducible codes at low cost with small features (bits) in the micrometer range that are additionally biocompatible.
Small 09/2009; 5(21):2433-9. · 8.35 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A focused-ion-beam-assisted technique intended for ultrasmall, hard-magnet fabrication has been developed. By means of ion-beam-induced milling and deposition, reduced-size NdFeB magnets were extracted from a macroscopic quarry and bonded to the surface of a thin-film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR). Electrical characterization of the FBAR before and after bonding of the magnet was carried out, thus observing both a downshifting of the resonance frequency and a reduction of the quality factor of the resonator. The magnetic behavior of the nanomagnet has been confirmed by means of magnetometry measurements based on atomic force microscopy.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 03/2009; 1(3):527-31. · 4.53 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Mechanically resonant ferromagnetic MEMS sensors intended for magnetic field gradient measurements are presented. Suspended quad-beams with proof mass have been designed to improve their sensitivity and to simplify the detection. Fabricated devices exhibit the compact size of current MEMS technologies and are built within a simple deep-reactive-ion etching-based process. Nanometer-resolution detection based on optical interferometry and signal processing techniques have been employed to find out dynamic-mode transformation factors of 6.25 × 10−3 T/m/Hz with 0.1-Hz resolution. The device performs in situ gradiometry with a single-sensor structure, which represents a technological advance to current-art gradiometers.
Sensors and Actuators A: Physical.
