Journal of Laboratory Automation

Paper-based systems have been widely investigated for developing point-of-care devices because of their simplicity, affordability, and ease of use. Recent advances have resulted in paper systems that have progressed beyond the historical “single-strip” format and allow for a larger range of functions. This review provides a summary of the advances that have been made to improve the utility of paper-based diagnostic tests for biosensing. Specifically, techniques for designing paper devices, including different geometries and chemical patterning to control fluid flow, are discussed. This review also examines novel approaches to improve paper-based assay sensitivities, such as sample preconcentration, signal amplification at the detection zone, and electrochemical methods.

In recent years, various label-free biosensing technologies have been developed for studying the real-time kinetics of diverse biomolecular interactions. These biosensors partially take the place of fluorescence-based methods by providing a comparable sensitivity as well as retaining the conformational and functional integrality of biomolecules to be investigated. However, to completely eliminate the need of fluorescence, throughput is the next big consideration. Microarrays provide a high-throughput platform for screening tens of thousands of biomolecular interactions simultaneously, and many compatible fluorescent scanners have been commercially available. The combination of microarrays and label-free biosensors will be of great interest to researchers in related fields. Microarrays are fabricated by spotting, imprinting, or directly synthesizing biomolecules on solid supports such as glasses, silicon wafers, and other functionalized substrates, and they have been applied to detect DNAs, proteins, toxins, and so on in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) imaging systems and oblique-incidence reflectivity difference (OI-RD) microscopes. Current challenges include increasing sensitivity, reducing sampling time, improving surface chemistry, identifying captured molecules, and minimizing reagent consumption. Future research directions are to improve the instruments themselves, modify the microarray surface for more efficient analyte capture, and combine the systems with mass spectrometry and microfluidics.

Endotoxin, present in the outer membrane of all gram-negative bacteria, can pose serious risks to human health, from irreversible shock to death. Therefore, it is essential to develop sensitive, accurate, and rapid methods for its detection. The rabbit pyrogen test is the first standard technique for endotoxin detection and, nowadays, has been replaced by the Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate test, which is the most popular detection technique for endotoxin. With in-depth understanding of endotoxin, biosensors based on endotoxin-sensing components are promising alternatives to pursue in developing low-cost, easy-operation, and fast-response endotoxin detection techniques. This article summarizes the recent advances of endotoxin detection methods with a particular emphasis on optical and electrochemical biosensors based on various sensing elements ranging from nature biomolecules to artificial materials. As the research and technological revolution continues, the highly integrated and miniaturized commercial devices for sensitively and reliably detecting endotoxin will provide a wide range of applications in people’s daily life.

The significance of microfluidics-based and microelectromechanical systems–based biosensors has been widely acknowledged, and many reviews have explored their potential applications in clinical diagnostics, personalized medicine, global health, drug discovery, food safety, and forensics. Because health care costs are increasing, there is an increasing need to remotely monitor the health condition of patients by point-of-care-testing. The demand for biosensors for detection of biological warfare agents has increased, and research is focused on ways of producing small portable devices that would allow fast, accurate, and on-site detection. In the past decade, the demand for rapid and accurate on-site detection of plant disease diagnosis has increased due to emerging pathogens with resistance to pesticides, increased human mobility, and regulations limiting the application of toxic chemicals to prevent spread of diseases. The portability of biosensors for on-site diagnosis is limited due to various issues, including sample preparation techniques, fluid-handling techniques, the limited lifetime of biological reagents, device packaging, integrating electronics for data collection/analysis, and the requirement of external accessories and power. Many microfluidic, electronic, and biological design strategies, such as handling liquids in biosensors without pumps/valves, the application of droplet-based microfluidics, paper-based microfluidic devices, and wireless networking capabilities for data transmission, are being explored.

Airborne pathogens affect both humans and animals and are often highly and rapidly transmittable. Many problematic airborne pathogens, both viral (influenza A/H1N1, Rubella, and avian influenza/H5N1) and bacterial (Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Bacillus anthracis), have huge impacts on health care and agricultural applications, and can potentially be used as bioterrorism agents. Many different laboratory-based methods have been introduced and are currently being used. However, such detection is generally limited by sample collection, including nasal swabs and blood analysis. Direct identification from air (specifically, aerosol samples) would be ideal, but such detection has not been very successful due to the difficulty in sample collection and the extremely low pathogen concentration found in aerosol samples. In this review, we will discuss the portable biosensors and/or micro total analysis systems (µTAS) that can be used for monitoring such airborne pathogens, similar to smoke detectors. Current laboratory-based methods will be reviewed, and possible solutions to convert these lab-based methods into µTAS biosensors will be discussed.

Nucleic acid biomarkers embody inherent importance for differentiating disease-causing organisms or environmental pathogens. Identifying unknown nucleic acids in low abundance remains extremely challenging. Previously, we reported a method to identify complementary DNA (cDNA) molecules based on sequence-specific topographical labels measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). However, the accuracy is limited because only one type of nicking endonuclease was used as the labeling agent. Here we investigate how accuracy is improved using multiple types of nicking endonucleases in combinations. The numerical experiments created cDNA molecules incorporating measurement error or labeling defects, which were later compared with the 29,563 human messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript database with ideal labels. After comparison, the unknown cDNA molecule was identified as the transcript with the highest matching score. Thus, the accuracy was determined by the rate of true positives. We found that the accuracy is positively proportional to the label number. Compared with cases using single nicking endonuclease, which has an average accuracy of 51.2% ± 34.4%, the average accuracy was improved to 97.1% ± 5.6% using an optimized combination of NtBsmAI + NtBstNBI + NtAlwI. This improved accuracy is applicable to more than 85% of human mRNA transcripts. Together, our study suggests an optimization strategy for identifying nucleic acids in low abundance using the AFM-based method, with implications for diseases diagnosis, pathogen identification, and forensics at the single molecule level.

The aim of this study was to identify an improved delivery scheme for intracellular delivery and anticancer therapy. Novel gold nanorods (GNRs) bioconjugates were prepared by using GNRs as nonviral vectors conjugated with thiol-modified antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (ASODNs). We then investigated the possibility of using GNRs as carriers for nucleus delivery of ASODNs genes by using confocal microscopy and cell transmission electron microscope imaging. Our results demonstrate that the GNRs-ASODNs entered into the cell nucleus and increased cell apoptosis. Therefore, the GNRs could hold great promise for biological delivery applications and gene therapy.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide. The expression of glucose transporter isoform 1, a key factor in transporting glucose into cancer cells, is overexpressed in several human cancers, including HCC. In addition, this has been shown to correlate with a higher proliferation index and more advanced stages in HCC, suggesting that inhibition of glucose metabolism is a promising therapeutic strategy. Our study used high-content screening (HCS) for compounds that target glucose metabolism and effect cell death in HCC cells. Specifically, we showed that a fluorescent 2-deoxyglucose analog, 2-[N-(7-nitrobenz-2- oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino]-2-deoxyglucose, and CellTrace Calcein Red-Orange AM can be used reliably as readouts for glucose uptake and proliferative index, respectively, to identify drug candidates that simultaneously reduce glucose uptake and induce cell death in HCC cells. Thus, fluorescent glucose uptake bioprobes can be implemented in HCS assays to identify previously unknown regulators of glucose metabolism in HCC. In addition, our study also employs the use of feedback system control (FSC.II), a platform that optimizes the combinations of drugs identified through HCS. The coordinated use of HCS and FSC.II can improve the development of drug combinations and uncover previously unidentified signaling pathways that govern HCC as well as other cancers.

In this study, a slow-responding chemo-optical sensor for dissolved oxygen (DO) integrated into a 96-well plate was developed. The slow response time ensures that the measured oxygen value does not change much during plate transport to the microplate reader. The sensor therefore permits at-line DO measurement of microbial cultures. Moreover, it eliminates the necessity of individual optical measurement systems for each culture plate, as many plates can be measured successively. Combined with the 96-well format, this increases the experimental throughput enormously. The novel sensor plate (Slow OxoPlate) consists of fluorophores suspended in a polymer matrix that were placed into u-bottom 96-well plates. Response time was measured using sodium sulfite, and a t₉₀ value of 9.7 min was recorded. For application, DO values were then measured in Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae cultures grown under fed-batch–like conditions. Depending on the DO sensor’s response time, different information on the oxygenation state of the culture plate was obtained: a fast sensor variant detects disturbance through sampling, whereas the slow sensor indicates oxygen limitation during incubation. A combination of the commercially available OxoPlate and the Slow OxoPlate enables operators of screening facilities to validate their cultivation procedures with regard to oxygen availability.

Due to the size of the required equipment, automated laboratory systems are often unavailable or impractical for use in small- and mid-sized laboratories. However, recent developments in automation engineering provide endless possibilities for incorporating benchtop devices. Here, the authors describe the development of a platform technology to handle sealed culture dishes. The programming is based on the Petri net method and implemented via Codesys V3.5 pbF. The authors developed a system of three independent electrical driven axes capable of handling sealed culture dishes. The device performs two difference processes. First, it automatically obtains an image of every processed culture dish. Second, a server-based image analysis algorithm provides the user with several parameters of the cultivated sample on the culture dish. For demonstration purposes, the authors developed a continuous, systematic, nondestructive, and quantitative method for monitoring the growth of a hairy root culture. New results can be displayed with respect to the previous images. This system is highly accurate, and the results can be used to simulate the growth of biological cultures. The authors believe that the innovative features of this platform can be implemented, for example, in the food industry, clinical environments, and research laboratories.

Live-cell imaging at the nanoscale resolution is a hot research topic in the field of life sciences for the direct observation of cellular biological activity. Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) is one of the few effective imaging tools for live-cell imaging at the nanoscale resolution. However, there are various problems in existing scanning modes. The hopping and AC modes suffer from low speed, whereas the DC mode is prone to instability because of the DC drift and external electrical interference. In this article, we propose an amplitude modulation (AM) mode of SICM, which employs an AC voltage to enhance the stability and improve the scanning speed. In this AM mode, we introduce a capacitance compensation method to eliminate capacitance effect and use the amplitude of the AC current component to control the tip movement. Experimental results on polydimethylsiloxane samples verify the validity of the AM mode and demonstrate an improved performance of both speed and stability of this new mode.

Plateau-Rayleigh instability describes the infinite falling stream of fluid breaks into smaller droplets. With the development of nanotechnology, more and more attention is being drawn to Plateau-Rayleigh instability. This surface tension–driven instability performs well in the preparation of the nanoparticles, especially in photonics applications, such as optical micro-resonators in nano-biosensing systems. In this article, we mainly adopt the thermal fluid coupling method. The effect of temperature field on instability is studied with the aid of numerical simulation. In addition, the radius of the inner fluid column, the thickness of the outer fluid, and the temperature gradient are also studied to explore how the factors influence the Plateau-Rayleigh instability. The wavelength of the instability is characterized by droplet diameter, which is formed through the process caused by Plateau-Rayleigh instability.

This article presents a simple weighing method for spherical cells to avoid the high cost of correlated devices in traditional cell-weighing methods. In this method, the constant falling speeds of the spherical objects in liquid are derived to estimate their masses online. Using this method, the detected density of one type of microbead is highly in accordance with the known value. This method is proved to be capable of detecting tiny variations of the cell mass (at least within 1% of the cell mass). Finally, the proposed method is applied in nuclear transplantation operations, and, for the first time, the proper amount of the removed cytoplasm in porcine enucleation is estimated. The proposed method is able to weigh cells with a success rate of 92% at an average speed of 22 s/cell, and it can be performed on traditional microoperation systems, which makes it easily applicable in biological applications.

Electroporation (EP) is a process of applying a pulsed intense electric field on the cell membrane to temporarily induce nanoscale electropores on the plasma membrane of biological cells. A nonlinear size-dependent equivalent circuit model of a single-cell electroporation system is proposed to investigate dynamic electromechanical behavior of cells on microfluidic chips during EP. This model consists of size-dependent electromechanical components of a cell, electrical components of poration media, and a microfluidic chip. A single-cell microfluidic EP chip with 3D microelectrode arrays along a microchannel is designed and fabricated to experimentally analyze the permeabilization of a cell. Predicted electrical current responses of the model are in good agreement (average error of 6%) with that of single-cell EP. The proposed model can successfully predict the time responses of transmembrane voltage, pore diameter, and pore density at four different stages of permeabilization. These stages are categorized based on electromechanical changes of the lipid membrane. The current-voltage characteristic curve of the cell membrane during EP is also investigated at different EP stages in detail. The model can precisely predict the electric breakdown of different cell lines at a specific critical cell membrane voltage of the target cell lines.

Glomerular mesangial cell (MC) hypertrophy is regarded as one of the earliest pathological characteristics of diabetic nephropathy (DN), which plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of glomerulosclerosis. This study investigated the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in MC hypertrophy due to exposure to high glucose. With a microarray, we screened the differential profiles of miRNAs in the renal cortex of DN mice, as verified by reverse transcription PCR with subsequent analysis of bioinformatics. We found miR-196a was downregulated remarkably in DN mice and increased the hypertrophy-related gene of p27^kip1 in high-enrichment gene ontologies. Furthermore, transfection of the miR-196a mimic greatly inhibited the expression of p27^kip1 with recovery of MC hypertrophic morphology. With flow cytometry, we also found that overexpression of miR-196a significantly reduced the percentage of G₁ phase arrest in the cell cycle. Cotransfection of the miR-196a mimic with a wild type of 3′ UTR of the p27^kip1 vector reduced the activity of the luciferase reporter significantly in contrast to the miR-196a mimic with a mutant of the counterpart in HEK293 cell lines, suggesting that miR-196a directly targets p27^kip1. Finally, knockdown of p27^kip1 with specific small interfering RNA in MCs substantially reversed MC hypertrophy induced by transfection of the miR-196a inhibitor. This study revealed that miR-196a acts as an important molecular regulator in high glucose-induced MC hypertrophy by targeting p27^kip1.

Low-cost and quick detection of biotic stresses is critically important for protection of staple food crops such as maize in smallholder farms in developing countries, where access to improved seed varieties, fertilizers, and pesticides is limited due to financial and geographical reasons. Here, we report a new lateral flow detection technology directly integrated in a maize leaf, in which microspheres conjugated with analyte-specific capture antibodies are non-invasively injected. The antibody-conjugated microspheres capture and detect an analyte in a concentration-specific manner. In this study, we optimized microsphere size for effective infiltration and immobilization in the leaf, and further demonstrated detection of a fluorescent mock biomarker, fluorescein, in a live maize plant. This in planta lateral flow biosensor is the first of its kind and is expected to provide a low-cost and user-friendly detection method for biotic stresses in the field.

Paper-based electrochemical biosensors are a promising technology that enables rapid, quantitative measurements on an inexpensive platform. However, the control of liquids in paper networks is generally limited to a single sample delivery step. Here, we propose a simple method to automate the loading and delivery of liquid samples to sensing electrodes on paper networks by stacking multiple layers of paper. Using these stacked paper devices (SPDs), we demonstrate a unique strategy to fully immerse planar electrodes by aqueous liquids via capillary flow. Amperometric measurements of xanthine oxidase revealed that electrochemical sensors on four-layer SPDs generated detection signals up to 75% higher compared with those on single-layer paper devices. Furthermore, measurements could be performed with minimal user involvement and completed within 30 min. Due to its simplicity, enhanced automation, and capability for quantitative measurements, stacked paper electrochemical biosensors can be useful tools for point-of-care testing in resource-limited settings.