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Cancer metastasis, the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, remains a complex challenge in medical science. Stephen Paget's "seed and soil theory" introduced the concept of organotropism, suggesting that metastatic success depends on specific organ microenvironments. Understanding organotropism not only offers potential for curbing metastasis but also novel treatment strategies. Microphysiological systems (MPS), especially organ-on-a-chip models, have emerged as transformative tools in this quest. These systems, blending microfluidics, biology, and engineering, grant precise control over cell interactions within organ-specific microenvironments. MPS enable real-time monitoring, morphological analysis, and protein quantification, enhancing our comprehension of cancer dynamics, including tumor migration, vascularization, and pre-metastatic niches. In this review, we explore innovative applications of MPS in investigating cancer metastasis, particularly focusing on organotropism. This interdisciplinary approach converges the field of science, engineering, and medicine, thereby illuminating a path toward groundbreaking discoveries in cancer research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prepared a hydrophobic deca-dodecasil 3 rhombohedral@chabazite (DDR@CHA) zeolite hybrid film comprised mainly of DDR zeolite. Specifically, the pore size of the DDR zeolite (0.36 × 0.44 nm2) is ideal for molecular-sieve-based CO2 (0.33 nm) separation from CH4 (0.38 nm), which is critical for upgrading biogas. We demonstrated that an appropriate choice of calcination conditions was the key factor controlling the formation of defects and, consequently, determining the final membrane performance. Simply put, low-temperature calcination in O3 eliminated defect formation and, thus, achieved a very high performance for dry CO2 permselectivity over CH4 (CO2/CH4 separation factor (SF) of ca. 523 ± 96 at ca. 50 °C, which is a representative temperature of biogas streams). Surprisingly, high separation performances (CO2/CH4 SF of 422) for water-vapor-containing CO2/CH4 mixtures (at 100% humidity and 50 °C) required the formation of a few defects, which in turn necessitated optimal calcination at ca. 450 °C in O2. The defect structures were quantitatively analyzed by combining fluorescence confocal optical microscopy with gas-permeation modeling. Furthermore, the inhibition of water-molecule-adsorption on CO2 permeation rates was estimated. This clearly revealed that fully opening the all-silica hydrophobic DDR zeolite micropores, while minimizing the formation of concomitant defects, helped to achieve the highest ever CO2 permselectivities for wet CO2/CH4 mixtures. In contrast, the elimination of defects by calcination in O3 was the key to achieving a very high dry CO2/CH4 separation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the success of several types of homogeneous zeolite membranes, the manufacturing based on only one type of zeolite largely limits the flexible, reliable synthetic route toward the formation of continuous zeolite membranes. Herein, we demonstrate heterogeneous epitaxial growth of a seed layer using two structurally compatible zeolites. Specifically, MCM-22 (MWW type zeolites) seed layers were epitaxially grown with a synthetic precursor that leads to the DDR type zeolite. The resulting heterogeneous films, referred to as DDR@MWW hybrid films, were continuously formed on porous supports. Furthermore, heteroepitaxial growth of the c-oriented MCM-22 seed layer yielded a preferential c-out-of-plane orientation; accordingly, six membered-ring (6-MR) pores (having a maximum size of ∼0.28 nm) along the c-axis of the MWW and DDR zeolites were, for the first time, aligned in the out-of-plane direction. Subsequently, this good model sample was adopted for determining the H2-permselectivities of the 6-MR pores; surprisingly, the 6-MR pores were rather impermeable to both H2 and CO2 molecules up to ∼200 °C so that the c-oriented hybrid membrane exhibited modest CO2-permselectivities over N2 (0.364 nm) or CH4 (0.38 nm) at the expense of reduced CO2 molar flux. Lastly, this experimental observation was further complemented with rigorous molecular dynamics simulations on well-designed DDR zeolite membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An all-silica deca-dodecasil 3R (Si-DDR) zeolite with a pore size of 0.36 × 0.44 nm2 is highly desirable for membrane-based separation of CO2 (0.33 nm) from N2 (0.364 nm), which is critical in the post-combustion carbon capture process, via molecular recognition of their slight size difference. For the first time, we acquired h0h-oriented, hydrophobic DDR zeolite films through the epitaxial growth of a DDR seed layer with a structure directing agent of methyltropinium iodide. The degree of the out-of-plane orientation and inter-growth was increased with the secondary growth time, while reducing the defects that provide non-selective pathways. The resulting DDR membrane showed a CO2/N2 separation factor (SF) as high as 11.9 at 50 °C (a representative flue-gas temperature) under dry conditions. More desirably, it could achieve a much enhanced CO2/N2 SF of up to 15.9 at 50 °C in the presence of H2O vapor (3rd largest component in the flue-gas). The transport of the larger N2 molecule, plausibly its entering the pore mouth of DDR zeolites, was more inhibited by H2O molecules adsorbed on the membrane surface; it appears that this surface resistance was due to the hydrophobicity of the highly siliceous DDR membrane and beneficial for improving CO2/N2 SFs under wet conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encoded hydrogel particles have attracted attention in diagnostics as these particles can be used for high-performance multiplexed assays. Here, we present encoded tetragonal hydrogel microparticles for multiplexed detection of miRNAs that are strongly related to Alzheimer's disease (AD). The particles are comprised of vertically distinct code and probe regions, and incorporated with quantum dots (QDs) in the code regions. By virtue of the particle geometry, the particles can be synthesized at a high production rate in vertically stacked micro-flows using hydrodynamic focusing lithography. To detect multiple AD-miRNAs, various code labels to identify the loaded probes are designed by changing wavelengths of QDs, increasing the number of code layers and adjusting the thickness of code layers. The probe regions are incorporated with complementary sequences of target miRNAs, and optimized for accurate and timely detection of AD-miRNAs. For proof of concept, we demonstrate the multiplexed capability of the particles by performing a 3-plexed assay of AD-miRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-functional neural probes are promising platforms to conduct efficient and effective in-depth studies of brain by recording neural signals as well as modulating the signals with various stimuli. Here we present a neural probe with an embedded microfluidic channel (chemtrode) with multi-drug delivery capability suitable for small animal experiments. We integrated a staggered herringbone mixer (SHM) in a 3-inlet microfluidic chip directly into our chemtrode. This chip, which also serves as a compact interface for the chemtrode, allows for efficient delivery of small volumes of multiple or concentration-modulated drugs via chaotic mixing. We demonstrated the successful infusion of combinatorial inputs of three chemicals with a low flow rate (170 nl min−1). By sequentially delivering red, green, and blue inks from each inlet and conducting visual inspections at the tip of the chemtrode, we measured a short residence time of 14 s which corresponds to a small swept volume of 66 nl. Finally, we demonstrated the potential of our proposed chemtrode as an enabling tool through extensive in vivo mice experiments. Through simultaneous infusions of a chemical (pilocarpine or tetrodotoxin (TTX) at inlet 1), a buffer solution (saline at inlet 2), and 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI at inlet 3) locally into a mouse brain, we not only modulated the neural activities by varying the concentration of the chemical but also locally stained the cells at our target region (CA1 in hippocampus). More specifically, infusion of pilocarpine with a higher concentration resulted in an increase in neural activities while infusion of TTX with a higher concentration resulted in a distinctive reduction. For each chemical, we acquired multiple sets of data using only one mouse through a single implantation of the chemtrode. Our proposed chemtrode offers 1) multiplexed delivery of three drugs through a compact packaging with a small swept volume and 2) simultaneous recording to monitor near real-time effects on neural signals, which allows for more versatile in vivo experiments with a minimum number of animals to be sacrificed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various food components are known for their health-promoting effects. However, their biochemical effects are generally evaluated in vitro, and their actual in vivo effect can vary significantly, depending on their metabolic profiles. To evaluate the effect of the liver metabolism on the antioxidant activity, we have developed a two-compartment microfluidic system that integrates the dynamics of liver metabolism and the subsequent antioxidant activity of food components. In the first compartment of the device, human liver enzyme fractions were immobilized inside a poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel to mimic the liver metabolism. The radical scavenging activity was evaluated by the change of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) absorbance in the second compartment. Reaction engineering and fluid mechanics principles were used to develop a simplified analytical model and a more complex finite element model, which were used to design the chip and determine the optimal flow conditions. For real-time measurements of the reaction on a chip, we developed a custom-made photospectrometer system with an LED light source. The developed microfluidic system showed a linear and dose-dependent antioxidant activity in response to increasing concentration of flavonoid. We also compared the antioxidant activity of flavonoid after various liver metabolic reactions. This microfluidic system can serve as a novel in vitro platform for predicting the antioxidant activity of various food components in a more physiologically realistic manner, as well as for studying the mechanism of action of such food components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]