Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has reached a critical inflection point, with the World Health Organization projecting that drug-resistant infections could claim 10 million lives annually by 2050 if left unaddressed. Central to combating AMR is antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), which guides rational antibiotic prescribing, yet conventional phenotypic and genotypic methods remain fundamentally constrained by prolonged turnaround times (16–72 h), dependency on pure culture isolation, high infrastructure costs, and the inability to capture complex in vivo resistance dynamics. These limitations perpetuate empirical antibiotic prescribing, with 30–50

Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) possesses several features ideal for biological research, including a transparent body, a short life cycle, and high genetic homology with humans. These characteristics have established it as a premier model organism in the life sciences. However, traditional methods for C. elegans phenotyping, which typically involve cultivation on agar plates and manual quantification, face significant limitations in throughput, objectivity, and precise environmental control. Microfluidic technology has emerged to overcome these challenges, offering precise environmental control and enabling high-throughput studies. This review focuses on the synergistic interplay between microfluidic platforms, advanced imaging systems, and automated image-based quantitative analysis for comprehensive C. elegans phenotyping. We examined microfluidic techniques for spatially confining and immobilizing C. elegans, innovations in imaging hardware and computational image enhancement tailored for these systems, and the pivotal role of artificial intelligence in robustly quantifying complex phenotypes of C. elegans. The integration of these technologies allows for high-precision, high-throughput analysis of morphology, behavior, and subcellular events in C. elegans. This synergy significantly advances diverse fields such as neurobiology, developmental biology, drug screening, and aging research with C. elegans. Future perspectives include the development of standardized, intelligent, and automated platforms to further unlock the potential of the C. elegans model.

Nanocellulose (NC), including cellulose nanofibers and nanocrystals, is a renewable, biodegradable material, but has weak antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Here, this paper presents an extrusion-based 3D printing technique to print a concentrated (≥26 wt% solid content) NC paste by adding different concentrations (0.75, 1.5, and 2.25 wt%) of tannic acid (TA). The 3D-printed structures were dried in cleanroom conditions (relative humidity: 45 % and temperature: 25 °C), followed by post-curing. The 3D-printed TA-NC structures demonstrate a maximum bending strength of 138.0 ± 2.3 MPa (246.5 % increase compared with NC), a maximum flexural modulus of 15.0 ± 0.9 GPa (205.39 % increase compared with NC), a maximum compressive strength of 31.9 ± 1.5 MPa, and a maximum compressive modulus of 128.3 ± 12.2 MPa. Furthermore, they show excellent antioxidant activity (94.5 %) and antibacterial properties. This preliminary study demonstrates that extrusion-based 3D printing enhances the mechanical, antioxidant, and activity against Escherichia coli of TA-NC scaffolds, showing the possibility for external biomedical fixation applications.

Microfluidics and biochip technologies continue to play a key role in driving innovation across biomedical, environmental and engineering disciplines [...]

Recent studies have demonstrated the clinical potential of nucleic acid therapeutics (NATs). However, their efficient and scalable delivery remains a major challenge for both ex vivo and in vivo gene therapy. Microfluidic platforms have emerged as a powerful tool for overcoming these limitations by enabling precise intracellular delivery and consistent therapeutic carrier fabrication. This review examines microfluidic strategies for gene delivery at the cellular level. These strategies include mechanoporation, electroporation, and sonoporation. We also discuss the synthesis of lipid nanoparticles, polymeric particles, and extracellular vesicles for systemic administration. Unlike conventional approaches, which treat ex vivo and in vivo delivery as separate processes, this review focuses on integrated microfluidic systems that unify these functions. For example, genetic materials can be delivered to cells that secrete therapeutic extracellular vesicles (EVs), or engineered cells can be encapsulated within hydrogels for implantation. These strategies exemplify the convergence of gene delivery and carrier engineering. They create a single workflow that bridges cell-level manipulation and tissue-level targeting. By synthesizing recent technological advances, this review establishes integrated microfluidic platforms as being fundamental to the development of next-generation NAT systems that are scalable, programmable, and clinically translatable.

The liver is a vital organ responsible for a broad range of metabolic functions, including glucose and lipid metabolism, detoxification, and protein synthesis. Its structural complexity, characterized by hexagonal hepatic lobules composed of diverse parenchymal and non-parenchymal cell types, supports its broad spectrum of physiological activities. Traditional in vitro liver models have contributed significantly to our understanding of hepatic biology and the development of therapies for liver-related diseases. However, static culture systems fail to replicate the dynamic in vivo microenvironment, particularly the continuous blood flow and shear stress that are critical for maintaining hepatocyte function and metabolic zonation. Recent advances in microphysiological systems (MPS) incorporating dynamic fluid flow have addressed these limitations by providing more physiologically relevant platforms for modeling liver function. These systems offer improved fidelity for applications in drug screening, toxicity testing, and disease modeling. Furthermore, the integration of liver MPS with other organ models in multi-organ-on-chip platforms has enabled the investigation of inter-organ crosstalk, enhancing the translational potential of in vitro systems. This review summarizes recent progress in the development of dynamic liver MPS, highlights their biomedical applications, and discusses future directions for creating more comprehensive and predictive in vitro models.

The present paper investigates the steady laminar flow and thermal mixing performance of non-Newtonian Al2O3 nanofluids within a two-layer cross-channel micromixer, employing three-dimensional numerical simulations to solve the governing equations across a low Reynolds number range (0.1 to 50). It also addresses secondary flows and thermal mixing performance with two distinct inlet temperatures for thin nanofluids. Additionally, it explores how fluid properties and varying concentrations of Al2O3 nanoparticles impact thermal mixing efficiency and entropy generation. Simulations were conducted to optimize performance by adjusting the power law index (n) across different nanoparticle concentrations (1-5%). The findings show that magnetohydrodynamics can enhance mixing efficiency by generating vortices and altering flow behavior, providing important guidance for improving microfluidic system designs in practical applications.

Understanding the tear film lipid layer (TFLL) at the molecular and microphysiological levels is critical to addressing issues related to eye health and visual acuity. The composition of the TFLL, including a mixture of lipids such as wax esters and cholesterol esters, plays a key role in its ability to inhibit evaporation and maintain its interaction with the underlying aqueous layer. Recent advances in methods such as the Langmuir technique, X-ray diffraction, fluorescence imaging, and computational modeling have significantly deepened our understanding of TFLL dynamics. In particular, research has focused on how TFLL interacts with tear proteins such as lipocalin, lactoferrin, and lysozyme. These proteins are critical for maintaining the structure and spreading of the lipid layer, which in turn stabilizes the entire tear film. This review will also explore the implications of TFLL instability for conditions such as dry eye syndrome, use of contact lenses, and after ocular surgery. Ongoing research into dry eye syndrome is critical due to its prevalence and severity. Although progress has been made, many aspects of the complex functions of the TFLL remain unexplored. Future research could lead to breakthroughs in treatment and prevention, improving patients' quality of life and expanding therapeutic options.

Aquaporin (AQP) biomimetic membranes are a coming-of-age technology for water purification. Although several studies have reported aquaporin biomimetic membrane fabrication to date, these membranes show low water flux mainly due to the low porosity and inherently dense structure of the polymeric substrate materials. Herein, we report a ceramic-based aquaporin biomimetic membrane based on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) as a substrate, which has a uniform porous structure with a high aspect ratio and pore density compared to conventional polymer substrates and exhibits a high water flux of 27.6 ± 3.6 LMH (L m−2 h−1) and superior membrane selectivity of 0.11 g L−1. Briefly, the AAO substrate was functionalized with amino-silane followed by polydopamine coating, then the AQP vesicles were immobilized on the functionalized AAO substrate surface using an electrokinetic method, and the water rejection performance of the membrane was analyzed in a forward osmosis system. Furthermore, a simple cryodesiccation method is introduced to improve the storage stability and easy transportation of aquaporin membranes, which does not require special environmental conditions to transport or store them.

The surface topography of substrates is a crucial factor that determines the interaction with biological materials in bioengineering research. Therefore, it is important to appropriately modify the surface topography according to the research purpose. Surface topography can be fabricated in various forms, such as wrinkles, creases, and ridges using surface deformation techniques, which can contribute to the performance enhancement of cell chips, organ chips, and biosensors. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the characteristics of soft, hard, and hybrid substrates used in the bioengineering field and the surface deformation techniques applied to the substrates. Furthermore, this review summarizes the cases of cell-based research and other applications, such as biosensor research, that utilize surface deformation techniques. In cell-based research, various studies have reported optimized cell behavior and differentiation through surface deformation, while, in the biosensor and biofilm fields, performance improvement cases due to surface deformation have been reported. Through these studies, we confirm the contribution of surface deformation techniques to the advancement of the bioengineering field. In the future, it is expected that the application of surface deformation techniques to the real-time interaction analysis between biological materials and dynamically deformable substrates will increase the utilization and importance of these techniques in various fields, including cell research and biosensors.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are chemically reactive oxygen-containing compounds generated by various factors in the body. Antioxidants mitigate the damaging effects of ROS by playing a critical role in regulating redox balance and signaling. In this study, the interplay between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants in the context of lipid dynamics were investigated. The interaction between hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as an ROS and vitamin E (α-tocopherol) as an antioxidant was examined. Model membranes containing both saturated and unsaturated lipids served as experimental platforms to investigate the influence of H2O2 on phospholipid unsaturation and the role of antioxidants in this process. The results demonstrated that H2O2 has a negative effect on membrane stability and disrupts the lipid membrane structure, whereas the presence of antioxidants protects the lipid membrane from the detrimental effects of ROS. The model membranes used here are a useful tool for understanding ROS–antioxidant interactions at the molecular level in vitro.

In recent years, there has been growing global concern about environmental pollution, and the increasing use of plastic products has made microplastics a serious environmental pollutant worldwide. Accordingly, the development of microplastic detection methods and research on the harmful effects of microplastics on human health are being actively pursued. In this study, we detected particle leaching from PE-coated paper cups using label-free nanopore sensing to identify and quantify the presence of sub-nanosized plastic particles. Plastic particles leached from the paper cups were classified as < 1 nm and > 1 nm, and their interactions with artificial cell membranes and inflammatory responses in the cells were evaluated. The results demonstrated that in a commonly used paper cup, particles < 1.4 nm were present at a concentration of approximately 1.13 mM in hot water and 0.62 mM in room-temperature water. It was demonstrated that plastic particles < 1 nm could condense the artificial cell membrane, whereas particles > 1 nm could thicken the artificial cell membrane. Furthermore, both size ranges of particles leached from the paper cups triggered an inflammatory response in the cells, with the inflammatory response increasing in proportion to the concentration and treatment time. The detection and analysis revealed the presence of sub-nanosized plastic particles in PE-coated paper cups, which are commonly used in daily life. These particles pose health threats and contribute to environmental pollution.

In this study, we created a 3D Artificial Skin Platform that can be used for the treatment of pigmentation by artificially realizing the skin of pregnant women. For the stable realization of 3D artificial skin, a bilayer hydrogel composed of collagen type I and fibrin was designed and applied to the study to reduce the tension-induced contraction of collagen type I, the extracellular matrix (ECM) of artificial skin, by dynamic culture. Oxygen concentration and 17β-Estradiol (E2) concentration, which are highly related to melanin production, were selected as parameters of the pregnancy environment and applied to cell culture. Oxygen concentration, which is locally reduced in the first trimester (2.5–3%), and E2, which is upregulated in the third trimester, were applied to the cell culture process. We analyzed whether the 3D artificial skin implemented in the 3D Artificial Skin Platform could better represent the tendency of melanin expression in pregnant women than cells cultured under the same conditions in 2D. The expression levels of melanin and melanin-related genes in the 2D cell culture did not show a significant trend that was similar to the melanin expression trend in pregnant women. However, the 3D artificial skin platform showed a significant trend towards a 2-6-fold increase in melanin expression in response to low oxygen concentrations (2.5%) and E2 concentrations (17 ng/mL), which was similar to the trend in pregnant women in vivo. These results suggest that 3D artificial skin cultured on the Artificial Skin Platform has the potential to be used as a substitute for human pregnant skin in various research fields related to the treatment of pigmentation.

This work’s objective is to investigate the laminar steady flow characteristics of non-Newtonian nano-fluids in a developed chaotic microdevice known as a two-layer crossing channels micromixer (TLCCM). The continuity equation, the 3D momentum equations, and the species transport equations have been solved numerically at low Reynolds numbers with the commercial CFD software Fluent. A procedure has been verified for non-Newtonian flow in studied geometry that is continuously heated. Secondary flows and thermal mixing performance with two distinct intake temperatures of nano-shear thinning fluids is involved. For an extensive range of Reynolds numbers (0.1 to 25), the impact of fluid characteristics and various concentrations of Al2O3 nanoparticles on thermal mixing capabilities and pressure drop were investigated. The simulation for performance enhancement was run using a power-law index (n) at intervals of different nanoparticle concentrations (0.5 to 5%). At high nano-fluid concentrations, our research findings indicate that hydrodynamic and thermal performances are considerably improved for all Reynolds numbers because of the strong chaotic flow. The mass fraction visualization shows that the suggested design has a fast thermal mixing rate that approaches 0.99%. As a consequence of the thermal and hydrodynamic processes, under the effect of chaotic advection, the creation of entropy governs the second law of thermodynamics. Thus, with the least amount of friction and thermal irreversibilities compared to other studied geometries, the TLCCM arrangement confirmed a significant enhancement in the mixing performance.

The development of therapeutic interventions for diseases necessitates a crucial step known as drug screening, wherein potential substances with medicinal properties are rigorously evaluated. This process has undergone a transformative evolution, driven by the imperative need for more efficient, rapid, and high-throughput screening platforms. Among these, microfluidic systems have emerged as the epitome of efficiency, enabling the screening of drug candidates with unprecedented speed and minimal sample consumption. This review paper explores the cutting-edge landscape of microfluidic-based drug screening platforms, with a specific emphasis on two pioneering approaches: organ-on-a-chip and C. elegans-based chips. Organ-on-a-chip technology harnesses human-derived cells to recreate the physiological functions of human organs, offering an invaluable tool for assessing drug efficacy and toxicity. In parallel, C. elegans-based chips, boasting up to 60% genetic homology with humans and a remarkable affinity for microfluidic systems, have proven to be robust models for drug screening. Our comprehensive review endeavors to provide readers with a profound understanding of the fundamental principles, advantages, and challenges associated with these innovative drug screening platforms. We delve into the latest breakthroughs and practical applications in this burgeoning field, illuminating the pivotal role these platforms play in expediting drug discovery and development. Furthermore, we engage in a forward-looking discussion to delineate the future directions and untapped potential inherent in these transformative technologies. Through this review, we aim to contribute to the collective knowledge base in the realm of drug screening, providing valuable insights to researchers, clinicians, and stakeholders alike. We invite readers to embark on a journey into the realm of microfluidic-based drug screening platforms, fostering a deeper appreciation for their significance and promising avenues yet to be explored.

Recent strides in drug delivery have aimed at precise control over therapeutic agent release and targeting. Liposomes, lipid-based vesicles, have stood out for their capacity to encapsulate diverse agents. While their structural features offer biocompatibility and stability, the inability to provide on-demand drug release limits their efficacy. Addressing these limitations, photoactivable liposomes, leveraging light as a trigger, offer a compelling solution. This strategy surpasses established controlled systems, providing spatiotemporal precision and non-invasive external triggering. Furthermore, the versatility of photoactivation, achieved through the manipulation of light-responsive components, enables meticulous control over release kinetics. While extant reviews predominantly concentrate on release strategies and materials, this paper takes a novel approach by spotlighting recent advancements in categorized photoactivable liposomes. Moreover, drawing from contemporary illustrations, the article accentuates design considerations that encompass physicochemical properties and light-related constituents. These insights collectively contribute to the evolution of sophisticated drug delivery systems.

Food waste is a huge problem worldwide, and spoilage during storage is a major contributor. Food freshness monitoring systems can help reduce food waste by providing consumers with information to more accurately predict the shelf life of their food. In the case of milk, pH can be used as a freshness indicator. As milk spoils, microbial activity converts lactose to lactic acid, which produces hydrogen ions (H + ) and consequently lowers the pH of the milk. In this paper, we propose a paper sensor that can detect the pH of milk in a refrigerated state (− 4 ℃) by color change. Polydiacetylene (PDA)/zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposite, which changes its color from blue to red as the pH decreases, was used as the color changing material. Specifically, the nanocomposite was applied to a nitrocellulose (NC) membrane, which is approved as a food packaging material for monitoring freshness during transport or on the shelf. The freshness monitoring function of the sensor was verified by applying artificially spoiled milk samples to the PDA/ZnO@NC membrane. In particular, it was demonstrated that the PDA/ZnO@NC membrane was shown to detect spoiled milk samples with pH 4.5 in 10 min at low temperature. Furthermore, the color change of the sensor upon detection of spoilage remained stable even after long-term storage. In conclusion, the PDA/ZnO@NC membrane presented in this study can be widely applied to the freshness monitoring of various food products stored at low temperatures whose spoilage is evaluated by pH.

In the field of drug delivery systems, liposomes have gained widespread acceptance through clinically approved formulations. Concurrently, the domain of nucleic acid-based therapeutics, particularly messenger RNA (mRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA), has opened new avenues for targeted and personalized medical interventions. However, realizing their full therapeutic potential depends on the development of efficient delivery systems capable of multi-delivering RNAs. Therefore, this paper presents an innovative approach that merges the advantages of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) with established liposomal delivery systems. This study underscores a promising platform for multiple RNA delivery and controlled releases, offering the potential for advancements in the field of nucleic acid-based combination therapy.