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Editorial for the Special Issue on Nanostructured Surfaces and Devices for Biomedical Applications

by

Valentina Mussi

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Annalisa Convertino

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Antonella Lisi

Micromachines 2022, 13(12), 2094; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13122094 - 28 Nov 2022

Viewed by 461

Abstract

The ability to control and modify the surface topography of materials at the nanoscale, which produces features with a comparable size to that of biological entities, so as to effectively probe and influence processes at both the cellular and the molecular level, has [...] Read more.

The ability to control and modify the surface topography of materials at the nanoscale, which produces features with a comparable size to that of biological entities, so as to effectively probe and influence processes at both the cellular and the molecular level, has facilitated incredible possibilities in the fields of biomedicine, biosensing, and diagnostics [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Surfaces and Devices for Biomedical Applications)

Research

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Open AccessArticle

Statistical Classification for Raman Spectra of Tumoral Genomic DNA

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Micromachines 2022, 13(9), 1388; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13091388 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 802

Abstract

We exploit Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) to investigate aqueous droplets of genomic DNA deposited onto silver-coated silicon nanowires, and we show that it is possible to efficiently discriminate between spectra of tumoral and healthy cells. To assess the robustness of the proposed technique, [...] Read more.

We exploit Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) to investigate aqueous droplets of genomic DNA deposited onto silver-coated silicon nanowires, and we show that it is possible to efficiently discriminate between spectra of tumoral and healthy cells. To assess the robustness of the proposed technique, we develop two different statistical approaches, one based on the Principal Components Analysis of spectral data and one based on the computation of the

ℓ^{2}

distance between spectra. Both methods prove to be highly efficient, and we test their accuracy via the Cohen’s

κ

statistics. We show that the synergistic combination of the SERS spectroscopy and the statistical analysis methods leads to efficient and fast cancer diagnostic applications allowing rapid and unexpansive discrimination between healthy and tumoral genomic DNA alternative to the more complex and expensive DNA sequencing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Surfaces and Devices for Biomedical Applications)

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Open AccessArticle

Normalization of Blood Viscosity According to the Hematocrit and the Shear Rate

by

Claudia Trejo-Soto

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Aurora Hernández-Machado

Micromachines 2022, 13(3), 357; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13030357 - 24 Feb 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1335

Abstract

The rheological properties of blood depend highly on the properties of its red blood cells: concentration, membrane elasticity, and aggregation. These properties affect the viscosity of blood as well as its shear thinning behavior. Using an experimental analysis of the interface advancement of [...] Read more.

The rheological properties of blood depend highly on the properties of its red blood cells: concentration, membrane elasticity, and aggregation. These properties affect the viscosity of blood as well as its shear thinning behavior. Using an experimental analysis of the interface advancement of blood in a microchannel, we determine the viscosity of different samples of blood. In this work, we present two methods that successfully normalize the viscosity of blood for a single and for different donors, first according to the concentration of erythrocytes and second according to the shear rate. The proposed methodology is able to predict the health conditions of the blood samples by introducing a non-dimensional coefficient that accounts for the response to shear rate of the different donors blood samples. By means of these normalization methods, we were able to determine the differences between the red blood cells of the samples and define a range where healthy blood samples can be described by a single behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Surfaces and Devices for Biomedical Applications)

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Open AccessArticle

Raman Mapping of Biological Systems Interacting with a Disordered Nanostructured Surface: A Simple and Powerful Approach to the Label-Free Analysis of Single DNA Bases

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Micromachines 2021, 12(3), 264; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12030264 - 04 Mar 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1168

Abstract

This article demonstrates the possibility to use a novel powerful approach based on Raman mapping of analyte solutions drop casted on a disordered array of Ag covered silicon nanowires (Ag/SiNWs), to identify the characteristic spectral signal of the four DNA bases, adenine (A), [...] Read more.

This article demonstrates the possibility to use a novel powerful approach based on Raman mapping of analyte solutions drop casted on a disordered array of Ag covered silicon nanowires (Ag/SiNWs), to identify the characteristic spectral signal of the four DNA bases, adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G), at concentration as low as 10 ng/µL, and to study their specific way of interacting with the nanostructured substrate. The results show a distinctive and amplified interaction of guanine, the base that is most susceptible to oxidation, with the nanostructured surface. Our findings explain the recently revealed diverse behaviour of cancer and normal DNA deposited on the same Ag/SiNWs, which is ascribed to mechanical deformation and base lesions present on the oxidised DNA molecule backbone and causes detectable variation in the Raman signal, usable for diagnostic purposes. The notable bio-analytical capability of the presented platform, and its sensitivity to the molecule mechanical conformation at the single-base level, thus provides a new reliable, rapid, label-free DNA diagnostic methodology alternative to more sophisticated and expensive sequencing ones. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Surfaces and Devices for Biomedical Applications)

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Open AccessArticle

Bacillus thuringiensis Cells Selectively Captured by Phages and Identified by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Technique

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Micromachines 2021, 12(2), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12020100 - 20 Jan 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1176

Abstract

In this work, the results on the detection and identification of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cells by using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) are presented. Bt has been chosen as a harmless surrogate of the pathogen Bacillus anthracis (Ba) responsible for [...] Read more.

In this work, the results on the detection and identification of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cells by using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) are presented. Bt has been chosen as a harmless surrogate of the pathogen Bacillus anthracis (Ba) responsible for the deadly Anthrax disease, because of their genetic similarities. Drops of 200 μL of Bt suspensions, with concentrations 10² CFU/mL, 10⁴ CFU/mL, 10⁶ CFU/mL, were deposited on a SERS chip and sampled after water evaporation. To minimize the contribution to the SERS data given by naturally occurring interferents present in a real scenario, the SERS chip was functionalized with specific phage receptors BtCS33, that bind Bt (or Ba) cells to the SERS surface and allow to rinse the chip removing unwanted contaminants. Different chemometric approaches were applied to the SERS data to classify spectra from Bt-contaminated and uncontaminated areas of the chip: Principal Component Regression (PCR), Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) and Data Driven Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy (DD-SIMCA). The first two was tested and trained by using data from both contaminated and un-contaminated chips, the last was trained by using data from un-contaminated chips only and tested with all the available data. All of them were able to correctly classify the SERS spectra with great accuracy, the last being suitable for an automated recognition procedure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Surfaces and Devices for Biomedical Applications)

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Review

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Open AccessReview

From Soft to Hard Biomimetic Materials: Tuning Micro/Nano-Architecture of Scaffolds for Tissue Regeneration

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Maria Letizia Terranova

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Laura Teodori

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Alessandra Pasquo

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Paolo Di Nardo

Micromachines 2022, 13(5), 780; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13050780 - 16 May 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1997

Abstract

Failure of tissues and organs resulting from degenerative diseases or trauma has caused huge economic and health concerns around the world. Tissue engineering represents the only possibility to revert this scenario owing to its potential to regenerate or replace damaged tissues and organs. [...] Read more.

Failure of tissues and organs resulting from degenerative diseases or trauma has caused huge economic and health concerns around the world. Tissue engineering represents the only possibility to revert this scenario owing to its potential to regenerate or replace damaged tissues and organs. In a regeneration strategy, biomaterials play a key role promoting new tissue formation by providing adequate space for cell accommodation and appropriate biochemical and biophysical cues to support cell proliferation and differentiation. Among other physical cues, the architectural features of the biomaterial as a kind of instructive stimuli can influence cellular behaviors and guide cells towards a specific tissue organization. Thus, the optimization of biomaterial micro/nano architecture, through different manufacturing techniques, is a crucial strategy for a successful regenerative therapy. Over the last decades, many micro/nanostructured biomaterials have been developed to mimic the defined structure of ECM of various soft and hard tissues. This review intends to provide an overview of the relevant studies on micro/nanostructured scaffolds created for soft and hard tissue regeneration and highlights their biological effects, with a particular focus on striated muscle, cartilage, and bone tissue engineering applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Surfaces and Devices for Biomedical Applications)

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Open AccessReview

Extrinsically Conductive Nanomaterials for Cardiac Tissue Engineering Applications

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Francesca Pescosolido

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Fabio De Matteis

Micromachines 2021, 12(8), 914; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12080914 - 31 Jul 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2180

Abstract

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the consequence of coronary artery thrombosis resulting in ischemia and necrosis of the myocardium. As a result, billions of contractile cardiomyocytes are lost with poor innate regeneration capability. This degenerated tissue is replaced by collagen-rich fibrotic scar tissue as [...] Read more.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the consequence of coronary artery thrombosis resulting in ischemia and necrosis of the myocardium. As a result, billions of contractile cardiomyocytes are lost with poor innate regeneration capability. This degenerated tissue is replaced by collagen-rich fibrotic scar tissue as the usual body response to quickly repair the injury. The non-conductive nature of this tissue results in arrhythmias and asynchronous beating leading to total heart failure in the long run due to ventricular remodelling. Traditional pharmacological and assistive device approaches have failed to meet the utmost need for tissue regeneration to repair MI injuries. Engineered heart tissues (EHTs) seem promising alternatives, but their non-conductive nature could not resolve problems such as arrhythmias and asynchronous beating for long term in-vivo applications. The ability of nanotechnology to mimic the nano-bioarchitecture of the extracellular matrix and the potential of cardiac tissue engineering to engineer heart-like tissues makes it a unique combination to develop conductive constructs. Biomaterials blended with conductive nanomaterials could yield conductive constructs (referred to as extrinsically conductive). These cell-laden conductive constructs can alleviate cardiac functions when implanted in-vivo. A succinct review of the most promising applications of nanomaterials in cardiac tissue engineering to repair MI injuries is presented with a focus on extrinsically conductive nanomaterials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Surfaces and Devices for Biomedical Applications)

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Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceReview

Nanopatterning with Photonic Nanojets: Review and Perspectives in Biomedical Research

by

Salvatore Surdo

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Martí Duocastella

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Alberto Diaspro

Micromachines 2021, 12(3), 256; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi12030256 - 03 Mar 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 2765

Abstract

Nanostructured surfaces and devices offer astounding possibilities for biomedical research, including cellular and molecular biology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. However, the wide implementation of these systems is currently limited by the lack of cost-effective and easy-to-use nanopatterning tools. A promising solution is to use [...] Read more.

Nanostructured surfaces and devices offer astounding possibilities for biomedical research, including cellular and molecular biology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. However, the wide implementation of these systems is currently limited by the lack of cost-effective and easy-to-use nanopatterning tools. A promising solution is to use optical methods based on photonic nanojets, namely, needle-like beams featuring a nanometric width. In this review, we survey the physics, engineering strategies, and recent implementations of photonic nanojets for high-throughput generation of arbitrary nanopatterns, along with applications in optics, electronics, mechanics, and biosensing. An outlook of the potential impact of nanopatterning technologies based on photonic nanojets in several relevant biomedical areas is also provided. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Surfaces and Devices for Biomedical Applications)

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