Song Guo

This study demonstrates the facile fabrication of microfluidic devices using novel thermoset polydicyclopentadiene (PDCPD). The fabrication process was accomplished using a strategy similar to soft lithography using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The semi-cured PDCPD gel prepared from the thermal latent system of dicyclopentadiene retained the advantage of rapid and easy assembly via conformal contact, which is commonly achieved for devices fabricated from PDMS. Two methods were developed to form permanent bonding between PDCPD and PDMS, glass, and PDCPD, based on the polymerization of the semi-cured gel. The solvent compatibility of PDCPD was tested using various solvents over a period of 24 h, revealing excellent tolerance to acids, bases, alcohols, acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, and aliphatic hydrocarbons. However, PDCPD exhibited a low tolerance toward aromatic hydrocarbons, tetrahydrofuran, and chlorinated solvents. PDCPD devices demonstrated approximately 90% and 86% transmittance for 1 and 4 mm thick samples, respectively, in the visible-light region (400–800 nm). To further demonstrate the versatility of the material, droplets were generated on a PDCPD microfluidic device. This study confirmed the feasibility of using PDCPD as a routine material for the rapid prototyping of new designs.

Heterogeneous multi-compartmental DNA hydrogel particles fabricatedviamicrofluidic assembly were incorporated with a tandem DNA sequence logical circuit for precision medicine against cancers.

Cardiovascular disease is a chronic disease that leads to impaired cardiac function and requires long-term management to control its progression. Despite the importance of hydrogels for therapeutic applications, a contradiction between the size of a hydrogel and the amount of loaded drug has been encountered when using conventional fabrication methods. In this study, biocompatible reservoir microcapsules (diameter ∼100 μm) with a large liquid core and polymeric shell were fabricated via a one-step phase separation of poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate (PEGDA) and dextran within pre-gel droplets through microfluidics. By controlling the process of phase separation, high drug-loading efficiency (∼80%) for long-term release (30 days) of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) was achieved. Drug molecules were dispersed within the liquid core at a concentration above saturation solubility for sustained delivery via regulation of the shells. Effective therapeutic enhancement of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) and umbilical artery smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation and tube formation in vitro promoted rapid cell proliferation and increased the number of migrated cells by ∼1.7 times. Moreover, in vivo blood vessel regeneration for cardiovascular control induced by sustained dual-drug (VEGF and PDGF) delivery to the rat heart was achieved, showing the effectiveness of long-term protein delivery in improving cardiac function and significantly reducing ventricular wall thickness and fibrosis of the infarct region. The ratio of heart tissue scarring was reduced to 11.2% after microcapsule treatment compared with 21.4% after saline treatment in the rat model. By using these reservoir microcapsules, similar sustained delivery of proteins, mRNAs and biologic drugs could be developed for the treatment of a range of long-term chronic diseases and regenerative medicine.

Nanoplasmon-enhanced drop screen is developed to measure single-cell multiple miRNAs with high sensitivity of 0.1 nM, addressing cell nucleocytoplasmic profile in a throughput ∼100 cells per minute.

An ultrahigh-throughput single-cell miRNA assay is developed by a continuous-flow microfluidic process employing isothermal amplification to amplify the target miRNA signal.

Thermo-gravimetric technology was used to rapidly evaluate and measure safe use life of food contact polymer materials. The thermo-gravimetric curve showed that silicone rubber pad decomposition temperature was about 350°C in air and the maximum decomposition rate was 450°C. 370°C, 380°C, 390°C, 400°C, 410°C at the right temperature zone was chosen to do thermo-gravimetric constant temperature experiments; the time of silicon rubber pad’s weightlessness of 5%, 10% 15% was calculated by the above curve, respectively. Finally Arrhenius equation was used to establish the relationship between temperature and time; and then the result of infer silicone rubber pad using life was 1.37 thousand times when it was used as a baking tray.