Optofluidic photonic crystal fiber platform for sensitive and reliable fluorescence based biosensing.

Biosensing plays a pivotal role in various scientific domains, offering significant contributions to medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and biotechnology. Fluorescence biosensing relies on the fluorescence emission from labelled biomolecules to enable sensitive and selective identification and quantification of specific biological targets in various samples. Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) have led to the development of optofluidic fibers enabling efficient light-liquid interaction within small liquid volume.

Complete characterization of RNA biomarker fingerprints using a multi-modal ATR-FTIR and SERS approach for label-free early breast cancer diagnosis.

Breast cancer is a prevalent form of cancer worldwide, and the current standard screening method, mammography, often requires invasive biopsy procedures for further assessment. Recent research has explored microRNAs (miRNAs) in circulating blood as potential biomarkers for early breast cancer diagnosis. In this study, we employed a multi-modal spectroscopy approach, combining attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to comprehensively characterize the full-spectrum fingerprints of RNA biomarkers in the blood serum of breast cancer patients.

Tunable Tamm plasmon cavity as a scalable biosensing platform for surface enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy.

Surface enhanced Resonance Raman spectroscopy (SERRS) is a powerful technique for enhancing Raman spectra by matching the laser excitation wavelength with the plasmonic resonance and the absorption peak of biomolecules. Here, we propose a tunable Tamm plasmon polariton (TPP) cavity based on a metal on distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) as a scalable sensing platform for SERRS. We develop a gold film-coated ultralow-loss phase change material (SbS) based DBR, which exhibits continuously tunable TPP resonances in the optical wavelengths.

Machine Learning Assisted Real-Time Label-Free SERS Diagnoses of Malignant Pleural Effusion due to Lung Cancer.

More than half of all pleural effusions are due to malignancy of which lung cancer is the main cause. Pleural effusions can complicate the course of pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, or underlying systemic disease. We explore the application of label-free surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a point of care (POC) diagnostic tool to identify if pleural effusions are due to lung cancer or to other causes (controls).

Rapid and sensitive detection of ovarian cancer biomarker using a portable single peak Raman detection method.

Raman spectroscopy (RS) is a widely used non-destructive technique for biosensing applications because of its ability to detect unique 'fingerprint' spectra of biomolecules from the vibrational bands. To detect these weak fingerprint spectra, a complex detection system consisting of expensive detectors and optical components are needed. As a result, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method were used to increase the Raman signal multifold beyond 10 times.

Novel Cellulose Fibre-Based Flexible Plasmonic Membrane for Point-of-Care SERS Biomarker Detection in Chronic Wound Healing.

Background: Wound management is stretching the limits of health systems globally, challenging clinicians to evaluate the effectiveness of their treatments and deliver appropriate care to their patients. Visual inspection and manual measurement of wound size are subjective, often inaccurate and inconsistent. Growth factors, such as pro-inflammatory cytokines and proteases, play important roles in cutaneous wound healing.

Towards a point-of-care SERS sensor for biomedical and agri-food analysis applications: a review of recent advancements.

The growing demand for reliable and robust methodology in bio-chemical sensing calls for the continuous advancement of sensor technologies. Over the last two decades, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has emerged as one of the most promising analytical techniques for sensitive and trace analysis or detection in biomedical and agri-food applications. SERS overcomes the inherent sensitivity limitation associated with Raman spectroscopy, which provides vibrational "fingerprint" spectra of molecules that makes it unique and versatile among other spectroscopy techniques.

Optimization and performance analysis of SERS-active suspended core photonic crystal fibers.

Recently, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-active photonic crystal fiber (PCFs) probes have gained great interest for biosensing applications due to the tremendous advantages it has over the conventional planar substrate based SERS measurements, with improvements on the detection sensitivity and reliability in measurements. So far, two main approaches were employed to get the analyte molecule in the vicinity of nanoparticles (NPs) inside PCFs in order to achieve the SERS effect. In the first case, analyte and NPs are pre-mixed and injected inside the holes of the PCF prior to the measurement.

Handheld confocal Raman spectroscopy (CRS) for objective assessment of skin barrier function and stratification of severity in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients.

Background: We developed the first-of-its-kind handheld confocal Raman spectroscopy (CRS) system to quantify the concentration of natural moisturizing factors in the skin.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of our handheld CRS system and propose a novel quantitative index to measure skin barrier function.

Methods: This prospective study included 30 atopic dermatitis (AD) patients and 14 healthy volunteers.

Development of highly reliable SERS-active photonic crystal fiber probe and its application in the detection of ovarian cancer biomarker in cyst fluid.

Conventionally Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is realized by adsorbing analytes onto nano-roughened planar substrate coated with noble metals (silver or gold) or their colloidal nanoparticles (NPs). Nanoscale irregularities in such substrates/NPs could lead to SERS sensors with poor reproducibility and repeatability. Herein, we demonstrate a suspended core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) based SERS sensor with extremely high reproducibility and repeatability in measurement with a relative SD of only 1.

SERS-based detection of haptoglobin in ovarian cyst fluid as a point-of-care diagnostic assay for epithelial ovarian cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate haptoglobin (Hp) in ovarian cyst fluid as a diagnostic biomarker for epithelial ovarian cancers (EOCs) using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based in vitro diagnostic assay for use in an intraoperative setting.

Methods: SERS-based method was used to detect and quantify Hp in archived ovarian cyst fluids collected from suspicious ovarian cysts and differentiate benign tumors from EOCs. The diagnostic performance of SERS-based assay was verified against the histopathology conclusions and compared with the results of CA125 test and frozen sections.

Identification of mycolic acid forms using surface-enhanced Raman scattering as a fast detection method for tuberculosis.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause from a single infectious agent, based on the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report in 2017. TB causes massive health care burdens in many parts of the world, specifically in the resource constrained developing world. Most deaths from TB could be prevented with cost effective early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Retinoic acid is abundantly detected in different depots of adipose tissue by SERS.

Retinoic acid (RA) is essential for early developmental processes and stem cell differentiation, but less is known about its contributions to adult tissues and stem cells including adipose tissue. We previously demonstrated that many genes involved in RA synthesis and downstream pathway are differentially expressed in adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) from visceral fat compared to those from subcutaneous fat, leading to changes in their early adipogenic functions. In order to study potential contributions of RA in adipose tissue, we measured tissue RA levels using a technique based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).

Retinoic Acid Mediates Visceral-Specific Adipogenic Defects of Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells.

Increased visceral fat, rather than subcutaneous fat, during the onset of obesity is associated with a higher risk of developing metabolic diseases. The inherent adipogenic properties of human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) from visceral depots are compromised compared with those of ASCs from subcutaneous depots, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Using ontological analysis of global gene expression studies, we demonstrate that many genes involved in retinoic acid (RA) synthesis or regulated by RA are differentially expressed in human tissues and ASCs from subcutaneous and visceral fat.

Sensing of p53 and EGFR Biomarkers Using High Efficiency SERS Substrates.

In this paper we describe a method for the determination of protein concentration using Surface Enhanced Raman Resonance Scattering (SERRS) immunoassays. We use two different Raman active linkers, 4-aminothiophenol and 6-mercaptopurine, to bind to a high sensitivity SERS substrate and investigate the influence of varying concentrations of p53 and EGFR on the Raman spectra. Perturbations in the spectra are due to the influence of protein-antibody binding on Raman linker molecules and are attributed to small changes in localised mechanical stress, which are enhanced by SERRS.

SERS-based quantitative detection of ovarian cancer prognostic factor haptoglobin.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is increasingly being used for biosensing because of its high sensitivity and low detection limit, which are made possible by the unique Raman 'fingerprint' spectra from the biomolecules. Here we propose a novel SERS method for the fast, sensitive, and reliable quantitative analysis of haptoglobin (Hp), an acute phase plasma glycoprotein that is widely gaining application as a prognostic ovarian cancer biomarker. We exploited the peroxidase activity of the hemoglobin-haptoglobin (Hb-Hp) complex formed by the selective and specific binding of Hp to free Hb to catalyze the reaction of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) substrate and hydrogen peroxide to result in the final product of strongly SERS-active TMB(2+).

Whole ceramic-like microreactors from inorganic polymers for high temperature or/and high pressure chemical syntheses.

Two types of whole ceramic-like microreactors were fabricated from inorganic polymers, polysilsesquioxane (POSS) and polyvinylsilazane (PVSZ), that were embedded with either perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) tube or polystyrene (PS) film templates, and subsequently the templates were removed by physical removal (PFA tube) or thermal decomposition (PS). A POSS derived ceramic-like microreactor with a 10 cm long serpentine channel was obtained by an additional "selective blocking of microchannel" step and subsequent annealing at 300 °C for 1 h, while a PVSZ derived ceramic-like microreactor with a 14 cm long channel was yielded by a co-firing process of the PVSZ-PS composite at 500 °C for 2 h that led to complete decomposition of the film template leaving a microchannel behind. The obtained whole ceramic-like microfluidic devices revealed excellent chemical and thermal stabilities in various solvents, and they were able to demonstrate unique chemical performance at high temperature or/and high pressure conditions such as Michaelis-Arbuzov rearrangement at 150-170 °C, Wolff-Kishner reduction at 200 °C, synthesis of super-paramagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles at 320 °C and isomerisation of allyloxybenzene to 2-allylphenol (250 °C and 400 psi).

Bromo-oxidation reaction in enzyme-entrapped alginate hollow microfibers.

In this article, the authors present the fabrication of an enzyme-entrapped alginate hollow fiber using a microfluidic device. Further use of enzyme-entrapped alginate hollow fibers as a biocatalytic microchemical reactor for chemical synthesis is also deliberated in this article. To ensure that there is no enzyme leaching from the fiber, fiber surfaces were coated with chitosan.

An inorganic-organic diblock copolymer photoresist for direct mesoporous SiCN ceramic patterns via photolithography.

A high resolution negative-tone-type of inorganic-organic diblock copolymer photoresist was synthesized as a novel precursor for simple and direct fabrication of SiCN ceramic mesoporous patterns with ordered nanoscale pores by using a "top-down" photolithographic technique and the subsequent sacrificial processes of a "bottom-up" self-assembled nanostructure.

Practical approach for macroporous structure embedded microfluidic system and the catalytic microchemical application.

We present a low cost and practical approach to integrate 3D ordered macroporous polyfluoropolyether (PFPE) patterns into a microchannel by a series of porous pattern fabrication processes and subsequent photolithography in a site- and shape-selective manner. The 3D ordered macroporous patterns with high-resolution edges were firstly fabricated by microtransfer molding (μ-TM) of the sacrificial polystyrene (PS) template infiltrated with PFPE as a non-adhesive and solvent-resistant skeletal material. The resulting robust PFPE porous structures with high solvent resistance on a silicon wafer can easily be embedded into the microchannel with the aid of conventional photolithography, leading to a microfluidic system with a built-in microstructure.

Droplet synthesis of well-defined block copolymers using solvent-resistant microfluidic device.

Well-defined diblock copolymers were synthesized via an exothermic RAFT route by a droplet microfluidic process using a solvent-resistant and thermally stable fluoropolymer microreactor fabricated by a non-lithographic embedded template method. The resulting polymers were compared to products obtained from continuous flow capillary reactor and conventional bulk synthesis. The droplet based microreactor demonstrated superior molecular weight distribution control by synthesizing a higher molecular weight product with higher conversion and narrow polydispersity in a much shorter reaction time.

Adhesion force measurement between the stamp and the resin in ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography--an investigative approach.

In the ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) process, the surface interaction between the mold and the resist is essential along with molecularly clean separation of the mold from the surface of the cured resist for repeated use of the mold. In our present study, various mold-resin combinations have been examined by a tensile strength method to determine the adhesion force between a mold with a relief pattern and a photocurable resin. The adhesion force of polymer molds of the fluorine-containing polymers perfluoropolyether dimethacrylate (PFPE) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were compared to those of hard molds such as Si and quartz against several commercial UV-NIL resins.

Facile single step fabrication of microchannels with varying size.

In this report, we present a non-lithographic embedded template method for rapid and cost-effective fabrication of a monolithic microfluidic device with channels of various sizes. The procedure presented here enables the preparation of microchannels with varying dimensions in a single device without using any sophisticated micromachining instrumentation. In addition, this non-lithographic technique has also been used to fabricate a multilayer-multilevel biopolymer microdevice in a single step.

Fluoropolymer synthesis and its application as a mold material in UV-nano-imprint lithography process.

In our present work, we report the synthesis of a novel, highly photosensitive photocurable methacrylate functionalized perfluoropolyether (fluoropolymer) by grafting methacrylate functional group onto the backbone of perfluoropolyether chain. Reaction mechanism for the synthesis of the oligomer has been clearly described in this article. Dihydroxy terminated perfluoropolyether (PFPE-diol) monomer was made photocurable by carrying out its reaction with ethyl isocyanato methacrylate (EIM) by a simple addition reaction.