Localized Three-Dimensional Functionalization of Bionanoreceptors on High-Density Micropillar Arrays via Electrowetting

Biopatterning: The Art of Patterning Biomolecules on Surfaces

Patterning biomolecules on surfaces provides numerous opportunities for miniaturizing biological assays; biosensing; studying proteins, cells, and tissue sections; and engineering surfaces that include biological components. In this Feature Article, we summarize the themes presented in our recent Langmuir Lecture on patterning biomolecules on surfaces, miniaturizing surface assays, and interacting with biointerfaces using three key technologies: microcontact printing, microfluidic networks, and microfluidic probes.

Field-Effect Sensors for Virus Detection: From Ebola to SARS-CoV-2 and Plant Viral Enhancers

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel human infectious disease provoked by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Currently, no specific vaccines or drugs against COVID-19 are available. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are essential in order to slow the virus spread and to contain the disease outbreak. Hence, new diagnostic tests and devices for virus detection in clinical samples that are faster, more accurate and reliable, easier and cost-efficient than existing ones are needed. Due to the small sizes, fast response time, label-free operation without the need for expensive and time-consuming labeling steps, the possibility of real-time and multiplexed measurements, robustness and portability (point-of-care and on-site testing), biosensors based on semiconductor field-effect devices (FEDs) are one of the most attractive platforms for an electrical detection of charged biomolecules and bioparticles by their intrinsic charge. In this review, recent advances and key developments in the field of label-free detection of viruses (including plant viruses) with various types of FEDs are presented. In recent years, however, certain plant viruses have also attracted additional interest for biosensor layouts: Their repetitive protein subunits arranged at nanometric spacing can be employed for coupling functional molecules. If used as adapters on sensor chip surfaces, they allow an efficient immobilization of analyte-specific recognition and detector elements such as antibodies and enzymes at highest surface densities. The display on plant viral bionanoparticles may also lead to long-time stabilization of sensor molecules upon repeated uses and has the potential to increase sensor performance substantially, compared to conventional layouts. This has been demonstrated in different proof-of-concept biosensor devices. Therefore, richly available plant viral particles, non-pathogenic for animals or humans, might gain novel importance if applied in receptor layers of FEDs. These perspectives are explained and discussed with regard to future detection strategies for COVID-19 and related viral diseases.

Standing Surface Acoustic Wave-Assisted Fabrication of Region-Selective Microstructures via User-Defined Waveguides

Polymer-based substrate with region-selective microstructures are crucial for many biomedical applications. Here, we explored a novel method based on standing surface acoustic waves (SSAWs) for the fabrication of localized polymer-based microstructures via a predefined waveguide. When the SSAWs are excited, the generated acoustic pressure field can be controlled in a predetermined region of the fluid surface through controlling the size and shape of the waveguide geometry. On the basis of the capillary wave motion, the generated acoustic pressure field can excite microwavy patterned structures on the surface. Then with use of ultraviolet (UV) solidification, the polymer-based substrates with region-selective patterned microstructures can be successfully fabricated. Both finite element modeling and experimental studies demonstrated that the polymer substrate with different region-selective microstructures can be achieved by selecting the pairs of interdigital transducers (IDTs) and shapes of the predefined waveguides. The results showed that the proposed method is effective for fabricating polymer-based substrate with region-selective microstructures and may have potential in cell-laden chips for tissue engineering, cell-cell interactions, and other biomedical applications.