BioChip Journal最新文献

In this study, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was detected using a system that combined direct loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and lateral flow assays (LFA). This technology relies on sequence-specific hybridization in LFA; furthermore, it has high specificity and addresses the limitations associated with nonspecific amplification in general colorimetric LAMP. In addition, a direct boiling method was adopted to streamline DNA extraction and enable simple detection. The established technology was used to successfully detect S. aureus at a concentration as low as 10² colony-forming unit/mL, without cross-reactivity with other strains. The practical applicability of this technology was demonstrated by analyzing real samples such as beef jerky, cabbage, and eggshell, which were artificially spiked with S. aureus. This developed system may be beneficial with regard to operational simplicity, short analysis time, and high detection performance, which would enable its application in point-of-care settings and as a novel platform for detecting various pathogens.

Gallic acid (GA) is known for its valuable properties as an antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-mutagenic compound, making its detection in foods and drugs of paramount importance. In this research, we introduce a novel multichromatic sensor for GA detection, which employs the controlled growth of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the surface of gold nanobipyramids (AuNBPs). The sensor exploits GA's capability to reduce AgNO₃, resulting in the growth of AgNPs and a subsequent blue shift of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) as large as 195 nm. This unique multicolor response ranges from light gray to green, blue–violet, and pink, allowing for distinctive visual identification of GA concentrations. The sensor's performance demonstrates a wide dynamic range of 0–175 μM, and a detection limit (LOD) as low as 0.139 μM. Notably, the applicability of this multichromic plasmonic probe was successfully tested for GA assay in both Black and Green tea, showcasing highly satisfactory recovery efficiencies and affirming its potential for food quality control applications. The presented multichromatic sensor offers a promising approach for rapid and sensitive GA detection in various food and pharmaceutical products, enhancing the monitoring and assessment of GA content for improved product quality and safety.

Ultrasound-mediated intracellular delivery is one of the popular technologies based on membrane rupture at present. To date, ultrasound directly acts on a large number of cells to achieve cargo delivery and has been widely used in drug delivery, disease therapy and other fields. However, the existing macroscopic methods can no longer meet the requirements of accurate tracking and analysis and are prone to extensive cell damage and even death. With the rapid advancements in microfluidic technologies, the combination of ultrasound and microfluidics (CUM) technology can effectively improve the delivery efficiency and cell survival rates. This new technology has rapidly become a new direction and focus of research. Thus, we analysed the mechanism of sonoporation and the effect of acoustic waves in a microfluidic channel. In addition, we reviewed the application of these new technologies in terms of structure and fabrication of ultrasound transducers and microfluidic devices. As regards our main objective, we hope to help researchers better understand the future developments and the challenges of new technologies. With this review, researchers can promote the development of new technologies to solve the current challenges of intracellular delivery and advance clinical applications.

The coronavirus disease pandemic has led to an urgent need for rapid and accurate viral diagnosis. Therefore, rapid biosensors, not only for viruses but also for the detection of bacteria, disease diagnosis, and environmental monitoring, have been actively researched. Biosensors analyze the binding of biomolecules and target substances mainly based on electrochemical, electrical, or optical methods. To achieve precise and rapid diagnosis, it is crucial to reduce the time required for biomolecule–target substance binding. Typically, biomolecules reach the target substances through random diffusion, and to overcome the limitations associated herewith, biosensors have been integrated with alternating current (AC) electrokinetics (ACEK) technology. ACEK, through the application of alternating voltages, converts electrical energy into fluid motion, inducing pumping, mixing, concentration, and separation of the fluid. Its low power consumption makes it highly promising as a point-of-care diagnostic device. In this paper, we review the advancements in three ACEK technologies: AC electrothermal flow, AC electro-osmosis, and AC di-electrophoresis, to discuss the development of rapid biosensor fabrication methods based on electrical potential applications.