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Posts Tagged ‘3D printing’

3D printing: Improvising the Next-generation Batteries

Reporter: Vaishnavee Joshi BSc and MSc.

Batteries are the building blocks of 21st-century technology; it has been with us for a long time. The true significance of the batteries can be traced down to the 1800s when the first true battery was invented by the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta. With the pace of time and invention, many great contributions were made in the production and advancement of batteries. The two great leaps that are a first great leap forward:

  • Lithium-ion batteries and second leap forward:
  • Nanotechnology, completely transformed the production.

What began as an experiment, developed as an indispensable item in our world.

Dawn of 3-D printing technology

Astonishingly, the rapid growth in high throughput computer-aided technology and the earliest 3D printing manufacturing equipment which was developed by Hideo Kodama increased the development of three broad types of 3D manufacturing technologies that is :

  • Sintering,
  • Melting
  • Stereolithography.

3-D printing, also known as additive manufacturing is a method of creating a 3D object layer by layer using a computer created design since the last decade 3D printed batteries have been an area of interest for both consumer electronics and electric vehicles. The benefit of 3D printing of batteries are that the production of batteries is flexible, customizable for one particular application and printing can save weight or reduce mass, and even higher energy densities can be achieved by transforming the internal topologies. Production and research in 3D printing technologies are at their highest peaks in Asia and America many American firms considers battery 3D printing to be a publicly traded U.S branch.

Blackstone Resources AG(Swx: BLS) is a Swiss holding company focused on battery technology and metals they are creating processes tagged as Blackstone thick layer technology for 3D printing lithium-ion batteries. The patented process can fabricate both electrolyte and solid-state batteries and also cutting the expenditure by 70  percent the other demonstrated organizations that are located at Canada, Peru, Mongolia. It also claims to have begun exploring several minerals

https://www.blackstoneresources.ch/activities/battery-technology/lack

Sakuu Corporation

A bay area start up that developed a unique Blackstone thick layer technology that process and combines materials such as ceramics and metals for a variety of applications. It also claims that the production of lithium SSBs can be manufactured at scale using its multi-material multi-method (4M) technology. it uses standard cathode materials but in the future, it will also feature higher voltage cathodes with the potential of 25 % more energy the firms also states that “They are focused on finishing the platform that can do it.

We are working in parallel with all of the battery chemistry and everything else

Blackstone and Sakuu are some of many firms that are competing in re-creating and patenting the 3D printing methods. Nevertheless, the 4M technology of Sakuu holds a promising future in the world of lithium batteries with this elixir the applications are immense and beyond the scope.   

SOURCES

First Lithium Solid State Battery Produced by 3D Printing Startup Sakuu

2. Battery 3D printing firm considers publicly traded U.S. branch. June 22,20121, Michael Molitch-Hou, 3D printing. LIVE

3. 3D printed batteries: here comes the future. August 10, 2020, Jeff Butler.

4. The history and development of batteries. April 30, 2015, Jose Alarco and Peter Talbot

https://phys.org/news/2015-04-history-batteries.html

5. Sakuu to Release Multi-Material, Multi-Process Battery 3D Printer

3dprint.com/281555/sakuu-to-release-multi-material-multi-process-3d-printer-for-fabricating-e-mobility-batteries/

Other related articles published in this Open Access Online Scientific Journal include the following:

Series E, Volume Four: Medical 3D BioPrinting – The Revolution in Medicine, Technologies for Patient-centered Medicine: From R&D in Biologics to New Medical Devices

Editors: Larry H Bernstein, MD, FCAP and Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

Available on Kindle Store @ Amazon.com since 12/30/2017

  • Volume 4: Medical 3D BioPrinting – The Revolution in Medicine, Technologies for Patient-centered Medicine: From R&D in Biologics to New Medical Devices. On Amazon.com since 12/30/2017

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Mechanistic link between SARS-CoV-2 infection and increased risk of stroke using 3D printed models and human endothelial cells

Reporter: Adina Hazan, PhD

 

Kaneko, et al.  from UCLA aimed to explore why SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with an increased rate of cerebrovascular events, including

  • ischemic stroke and
  • intracerebral hemorrhage

While some suggested mechanisms include an overall systemic inflammatory response including increasing circulating cytokines and leading to a prothrombotic state, this may be only a partial answer. A SARS-CoV-2 specific mechanism could be likely, considering that both angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), the receptor necessary for SARS-CoV-2 to gain entry into the cell, and SARS-CoV-2 RNA have been reportedly detected in the human brain postmortem.

One of the difficulties in studying vasculature mechanisms is that the inherent 3D shape and blood flow subject this tissue to different stressors, such as flow, that could be critically relevant during inflammation. To accurately study the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the vasculature of the brain, the team generated 3D models of the human middle cerebral artery during intracranial artery stenosis using data from CT (computed tomography) angiography. This data was then exported with important factors included such as

  • shear stress during perfusion,
  • streamlines, and
  • flow velocity to be used to fabricate 3D models.

These tubes were then coated with endothelial cells isolated and sorted from normal human brain tissue resected during surgery. In doing so, this model could closely mimic the cellular response of the vasculature of the human brain.

Surprisingly, without this 3D tube, human derived brain endothelial cells displayed very little expression of ACE2 or, TMPRSS2 (transmembrane protease 2), a necessary cofactor for SARS-COV-2 viral entry.

Interestingly,

  • horizontal shear stress increased the expression of ACE2 and
  • increased the binding of spike protein to ACE2, especially within the stenotic portion of the 3D model.

By exposing the endothelial cells to liposomes expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, they also were able to explore key upregulated genes in the exposed cells, in which they found that

  • “binding of SARS-CoV-2 S protein triggered 83 unique genes in human brain endothelial cells”.

This included many inflammatory signals, some of which have been previously described as associated with SARS-COV-2, and others whose effects are unknown. This may provide an important foundation for exploring potential therapeutic targets in patients susceptible to cerebrovascular events.

Overall, this study shows important links between the

  • mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 and the
  • increase in ischemic events in these patients. It also has important implications for
  • treatment for SARS-CoV-2, as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis may be increasing ACE2 expression in patients, providing the entry port for viral particles into brain endothelia.

SOURCE:

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.032764

Other related articles published in this Open Access Online Scientific Journal include the following:

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Human Heart

Reporters: Justin D. Pearlman, MD, PhD, FACC and Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2020/09/29/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-the-human-heart/

 

SAR-Cov-2 is probably a vasculotropic RNA virus affecting the blood vessels: Endothelial cell infection and endotheliitis in COVID-19

Reporter: Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN – Bold face and colors are my addition

https://pharmaceuticalintelligence.com/2020/06/01/sar-cov-2-is-probably-a-vasculotropic-rna-virus-affecting-the-blood-vessels-endothelial-cell-infection-and-endotheliitis-in-covid-19/

 

Diagnosis of Coronavirus Infection by Medical Imaging and Cardiovascular Impacts of Viral Infection, Aviva Lev-Ari, PhD, RN  Lead Curator – e–mail: avivalev-ari@alum.berkeley.edu

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Surgical Planning and 3D bioprinting

Reporter: Irina Robu, PhD

The cardiovascular team at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital found a solution for better surgical planning using 3D printing. As a pediatric center, Glennon Children’s Hospital deals with the most complex patients, which requires surgeries within days or weeks of birth. According to the center, one of the pediatric patients was an infant diagnosed in utero via fetal ultrasound with an unusual form of switch of great arteries. Deoxygenated blue blood entered the right atrium which connected to the left ventricle, then to the aorta and the oxygenated red blood entered the left atrium which connects to the right ventricle and then to the pulmonary artery. The pediatric patients had a very large ventricular septal defect connecting both ventricles and severe narrowing between the left ventricle and the aorta.

It is obvious that the patient was fairly blue as deoxygenated blood was directed toward the aorta. The balloon atrial septostomy made in the first few days of life. Yet, the tachycardia persisted. The surgical team from SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, led by Charles Huddleston, MD used 3D printing to identify the anatomy of the patient clearly and provided them with the ability to repair the mitral valve. It seems that the neonatal atrial switch appeared to be the best plan, even if the operation proved challenging.

The team knew that they could go into the procedure knowing that the tissue can be safely removed without damage to the mitral valve. The team was able to show that the 3D model was essential in determining the optimal surgical approach and with the help of the 3D printed heart model, the neonatal atrial switch, the VSD closure and the subaortic stenosis resection was performed effectively on a 20-day infant. The surgery allowed the mitral valve function to remain intact. The pediatric patient cardiac function improved gradually and is expected to have an excellent recovery.

SOURCE

https://www.javelin-tech.com/3d/surgical-planning-3d-printed-heart/

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How is the 3D Printing Community Responding to COVID-19?

Reporter: Irina Robu, PhD

 

As the new pandemic COVID-19 takes over the globe, several countries are implementing travel restrictions, social distancing and work from home policies. Healthcare systems are overloaded and fatigued by this new coronavirus (COVID-19). Since COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, patients require specialist respirators to take over the role of the lungs. These respirators are in short supply, however, along with medical personnel, hospital space and other personal safety equipment required to treat patients.

Professional AM providers, makers and designers in the 3D printing community have started to answer to the global crisis by volunteering their respective skills to ease the pressure on supply chains and governments. The additive manufacturing and 3D printing community has numerous members keen to support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A hospital in Brescia, Italy with 250 Coronavirus patients lacking breathing machines has recently run out of the respiratory valves needed to connect the patients to the machines. In response to the situation, the CEO of Isinnova, Cristian Fracassi used 3D bioprinting to produce 100 respirator valves in 24 hours, which are currently being put to use in the Brescian hospital.

At the same time, Materialise, has released files for a 3D printed hands-free door handle attachment to lessen Coronavirus transmission via one of the most common mediums. Door handles are exposed to a lot of physical contact over the course of a day, especially in public spaces such as offices and hospitals. The 3D printable add-on allows users to carry out the lever action required to pop open most modern doors using their elbows.

Protolabs, a leading on-demand manufacturer with 3D Printing is using rapid production methods to good use during the current Coronavirus outbreak by producing components for #COVID19 test kits and ventilators. California-based Airwolf3D volunteered their own fleet of 3D printers for the manufacturing of respirator valves and custom medical components. The company is also offering remote technical support for medical staff that would like to know more about 3D printing.

Volkswagen has started a task force that will adapt its car-making capacity and manufacturing facilities to the production of hospital ventilators and medical devices. Using their own 125 industrial 3D printers to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, Volkswagen is donating face masks to healthcare providers and local authorities as part of an agreement made with German Health Minister.

Stratasys has organized its global 3D printing resources to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by printing full-face shields to provide protection to healthcare workers. The company showed that the strength of 3D bioprinting can be adapted on the fly to address shortages of parts related to shields, masks, and ventilators, among other things.
Doctors, hospital technicians and 3D-printing specialists are also using Google Docs, WhatsApp groups and online databases to trade tips for building, fixing and modifying machines like ventilators to help treat the rising number of patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The efforts come as supply shortages loom in one of the biggest challenges for health care systems around the world.

SOURCE

3D Printing Community responds to COVID-19 and Coronavirus resources

 

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Unlocking the Secrets of 3D Printing

Reporter: Irina Robu, PhD

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory discovered interesting ways to advance the capabilities of two-photon lithography, a high-resolution 3D printing technique capable of producing nanoscale features which unleashes the potential for X-ray computed tomography to analyze stress or defects noninvasively in embedded in 3D printed medical devices or implants. Two-photon lithography stereotypically requires a thin glass slide, a lens and an immersion oil to help the laser light focus to a fine point where curing and printing occurs. The findings were published in the journal of ACS Applied Material and Interfaces.

In the paper, researchers describe cracking the code on resist materials improved for two-photon lithography and forming 3-D microstructures with features less than 150 nanometer which is better in comparison to previous techniques which build structures from ground up, limiting the height of the objects.

According to LLNL researcher James Oakdale, “In this paper, we have unlocked the secrets to making custom materials on two-photon lithography systems without losing resolution”, because the laser light refracts as it passes through the photoresist material, the cornerstone is discovering how to match the refractive index of the resist material to the immersion medium of the lens so the laser could pass through unimpeded.

Investigators can now use X-ray computed tomography as an analytical tool to copy the inside parts without cutting them open and to investigate 3D printed objects by fine-tuning the material’s x-ray absorption. The only limiting factor is the time it takes to build, so the researchers are investigating how to speed up the process.

These techniques could be used to harvest and probe the internal structure of targets for the National Ignition Facility, as well as optical and mechanical metamaterials and 3D-printed electrochemical batteries.

SOURCE

https://www.llnl.gov/news/lab-unlocks-secrets-nanoscale-3d-printing

 

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Development of 3D Human Tissue Models Awarded NIH Grants Worth $15M

Reporter: Irina Robu, PhD

NIH has awarded $15 million for Tissue Chip for Disease Modeling and Efficacy Testing to develop 3D human tissue models. The 3D platforms, also called tissue chips support living cells and human tissues, it mimics the complex biological functions of organs/tissues and at the same time provide a new way to test potential drugs and their effectiveness. The awards will allow scientists to study and understand diseases mechanism and forecast how patients respond and is part of the first phase of a five-year program.  According to NCATS Director, Dr. Christopher P. Austin “these tissue chips to provide more accurate platforms to understand diseases, and to be more predictive of the human response to drugs than current research models, thereby improving the success rate of candidate drugs in human clinical trials”.

The awards will be used to study common and rare diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, influenza A, kidney disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, and hemorrhagic telangiectasia. Award recipients are Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Columbia University, Duke University, Harvard University, Northwestern University, University of California Davis, University of California Irvine, University of Pittsburgh, University of Rochester, University of Washington Seattle and Vanderbilt University.

SOURCE

https://www.mdtmag.com/news/2017/09/nih-grants-15m-development-3d-human-tissue-models

 

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3-D Printing in Water using Novel Hybrid Nanoparticles

Reporter: Irina Robu, PhD

3D printing has become an essential tool for fabricating different organic based materials, but printing structures in water has been thought-provoking due to lack of water soluble molecules known as photo initiators. The photo initiator can induce chemical reactions needed to form solid printed material by light.  However, researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology have developed a new type of photo initiator for three-dimensional printing in water. This innovative nanoparticle allows the creating of bio-friendly 3D structures.

By 3D printing in water, it also opens up the digital light processing method to medical applications, leading toward a competitive response for patient specific implants and tissues because the photo initiators cause rapid solidification of a liquid material that can create faster reactions when exposed to light. 3D printing in water opens up innovative ways for tailored fabrication of medical devices and for printing hydrogels or bio-scaffolds that are typical used in tissue engineering.

The challenge of 3D printing in water is finding an initiator that is not consumed by irradiation. However, unlike regular photo initiators, the novel hybrid nanoparticles developed by Prof. Magdassi present tunable properties, wide excitation window in the UV and visible range, high light sensitivity, and their ability to split water, and absorb oxygen molecules that typically inhibit the performance of the process. The particles added as photo initiator are semi conductive hybrid nanoparticles and are used to create high resolution 3D objects at sub-microscopic scale.

Therefore, 3-D printing in water could allow personalized fabrication of joint replacements, heart valves, artificial tendons and ligaments etc.

SOURCE

  1. https://phys-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/phys.org/news/2017-08-rapid-d-hybrid-nanoparticles.amp
  2. Amol Ashok Pawar et al. Rapid Three-Dimensional Printing in Water Using Semiconductor–Metal Hybrid Nanoparticles as Photoinitiators, Nano Letters (2017)

 

 

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3D Printing Technique with Non-Contact Ultrasonic Manipulation Technology

Reporter: Irina Robu, PhD

The 3D printer we think more frequently in combination with PCBs is the DragonFly 2020 from Nano Dimension which works with different with all kinds of materials in addition to PCBs as they are a great 3D printing player in electronic space.

The Ultrasound Research group at Neurotechnology (http://www.neurotechnology.com) has proclaimed a new 3D printing method using ultrasonic manipulation which are totally hands off and non-contact tech behind it, permitting for the handling of parts and particles down to submillimeter range without causing damage to sensitive components. According to the project lead for Neurotechnology Ultrasound Research Group, Dr. Osvaldas Putkis, “Ultrasonic manipulation can handle a very large range of different materials, including metals, plastics and even liquids. Not only can it manipulate material particles, it can also handle components of various shapes. Other non-contact methods, like the ones based on magnetic or electrostatic forces, can’t offer such versatility”.

Since the work from the Ultrasound Research Group embodies a new technological application, Neurotechnology has filed a patent on their system. Neurotechnology describes ultrasonic manipulation as a “non-contact material handling method which uses ultrasonic waves to trap and move small particles and components.”  It is well known that ultrasonic manipulation of particles exploits the acoustic radiation force to deliver a contactless handling method for particles suspended in a fluid. In an ultrasonic standing wave field, the viscous torque induces the rotation of an object. Alongside the translation of particles due to the acoustic radiation force an additional controlled degree of rotation is obtainable. Consequently, there is a growing interest in spreading the field of application of ultrasonic particle manipulation to the deposition of micro and nanowires and for the assembly of micro objects.

Ultrasonic transducers are arranged in an array used to position electronic components in the creation of a PCB, utilizing a camera to detect accurate positioning. Continuing on with the hands-off theme, a laser solders the PCB components after their non-contact manipulation into placement. 3D printing and PCB manufacture are increasingly coming together, as advanced technologies benefit the creation of devices in electronics, including via 3D printed workstations for PCBs.

Even though their method works with all types of materials, we expect to see further applications beyond PCB assembly.

Source

Neurotechnology Develops 3D Printing Method with Non-Contact Ultrasonic Manipulation Technology

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GE’s large scale 3D cookbook

Curator: Larry H. Bernstein, MD, FCAP

 

 

Major Laser: These Scientists Are Writing the 3D-Printing Cookbook for GE

Additive manufacturing engineer Brian Adkins in full gear is preparing a DMLM machine for printing. (Photo credit: GE Reports/Chris New)

It would be a stretch to say that Joe Vinciquerra is the Julia Child of GE. But Vinciquerra, the manager of the newly formed Additive Materials Lab at GE Global Research, is creating a cookbook that will likely impact manufacturing across GE the same way “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” shook up American kitchens.

Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, is exploding right now. GE estimates that by 2025, more than 20 percent of new products will involve additive processes of some kind. But there’s no cookbook that standardizes the recipes, which have oodles of parameters that determine the properties of the final part.

“It’s like baking a cake. You need to start with the right recipe, then you need to have the right ingredients and the right oven,” Vinciquerra says. “A cup of materials science, a tablespoon of design and a whole lot of machine-control strategies must come together and yield perfection.”

Technologies like direct metal laser melting (DMLM), for example, can involve several lasers as powerful as 1 kilowatt—enough to burn a hole in a wall—fusing as many as 1,250 layers of fine superalloy powder into the desired shape. Some large builds can take days to finish.

support block with 3D printed parts inside a DMLM printed in Pittsburgh. (Photo credit: GE Reports/Chris New)

Last week, GE opened a new industrial-scale 3D-printing center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It will work closely with Vinciquerra’s team, test their findings and get GE factories quickly cooking with additive.

His team has already started testing and tabling the powdered materials used in additive manufacturing and their properties. “We want to know how they come together, how they affect each other and what machines and processes are best suited for them,” Vinciquerra says. “It’s just like a gourmet recipe. We need to know how our ingredients are going to react in a mixer or an oven. And what changes can we make to those ingredients, the mixer or the oven to produce a more palatable dish?”

The team is pulling in expertise from other labs on the GE Global Research campus in Niskayuna, New York, including scientists focusing on nanomaterials, microstructures and machine design. The company calls the cross-pollination of know-how the GE Store.

inciquerra (right) and Andy Deal, a metallurgist in the Additive Materials Lab are loading sets of sample 3D printed metal parts in a vacuum oven for post-processing at GE Global Research. (Photo credit: GE Global Research.)      http://www.pharmpro.com/sites/pharmpro.com/files/styles/content_body_image/public/embedded_image/2016/04/Major%20Laser_GE%20Reports_3.jpg?itok=GSQMNM4L

 

GE materials scientists are no strangers to new materials. They spent two decades developing light- and heat-resistant materials called ceramic matrix composites that outperform even the most advanced superalloys and make jet engines and gas turbines lighter and more efficient. But additive materials live in a different universe. “With additive, you can design as you go and create architectures that cannot be manufactured by any other means,” Vinciquerra says.

He says that GE engineers can already design components with sophisticated, performance-enhancing features previously unattainable by any other means of manufacturing. The next-generation LEAP jet engine—developed by CFM International, a joint venture between GE Aviation and France’s Snecma (Safran)—uses 3D-printed fuel nozzles, which are 25 percent lighter and five times more durable. They used to be made from 18 separate parts and now they come in one piece. A year ago, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved a fist-sized housing for a sensor as the first 3D-printed part to fly inside GE commercial jet engines.

“This is just the beginning,” Vinciquerra says. “Someday, we may even be able to combine materials together in ways previously not possible to unlock new capabilities that never existed. Can I create a new class of materials that open the design envelope and push the limits of durability and heat resistance beyond what we thought was even possible? We’re going to find out.”

To read the original story, published on GE Reports, click here

 

 

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3D revolution and tissue repair

Curator: Larry H. Bernstein, MD, FCAP

 

 

Berkeley Lab captures first high-res 3D images of DNA segments

DNA segments are targeted to be building blocks for molecular computer memory and electronic devices, nanoscale drug-delivery systems, and as markers for biological research and imaging disease-relevant proteins

In a Berkeley Lab-led study, flexible double-helix DNA segments (purple, with green DNA models) connected to gold nanoparticles (yellow) are revealed from the 3D density maps reconstructed from individual samples using a Berkeley Lab-developed technique called individual-particle electron tomography (IPET). Projections of the structures are shown in the green background grid. (credit: Berkeley Lab)

An international research team working at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has captured the first high-resolution 3D images of double-helix DNA segments attached at either end to gold nanoparticles — which could act as building blocks for molecular computer memory and electronic devices (see World’s smallest electronic diode made from single DNA molecule), nanoscale drug-delivery systems, and as markers for biological research and for imaging disease-relevant proteins.

The researchers connected coiled DNA strands between polygon-shaped gold nanoparticles and then reconstructed 3D images, using a cutting-edge electron microscope technique coupled with a protein-staining process and sophisticated software that provided structural details at the scale of about 2 nanometers.

“We had no idea about what the double-strand DNA would look like between the gold nanoparticles,” said Gang “Gary” Ren, a Berkeley Lab scientist who led the research. “This is the first time for directly visualizing an individual double-strand DNA segment in 3D,” he said.

The results were published in an open-access paper in the March 30 edition of Nature Communications.

The method developed by this team, called individual-particle electron tomography (IPET), had earlier captured the 3-D structure of a single protein that plays a key role in human cholesterol metabolism. By grabbing 2D images of an object from different angles, the technique allows researchers to assemble a 3D image of that object.

The team has also used the technique to uncover the fluctuation of another well-known flexible protein, human immunoglobulin 1, which plays a role in the human immune system.

https://youtu.be/lQrbmg9ry90
Berkeley Lab | 3-D Reconstructions of Double strand DNA and Gold Nanoparticle Structures

For this new study of DNA nanostructures, Ren used an electron-beam study technique called cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to examine frozen DNA-nanogold samples, and used IPET to reconstruct 3-D images from samples stained with heavy metal salts. The team also used molecular simulation tools to test the natural shape variations (“conformations”) in the samples, and compared these simulated shapes with observations.

First visualization of DNA strand dynamics without distorting x-ray crystallography

Ren explained that the naturally flexible dynamics of samples, like a man waving his arms, cannot be fully detailed by any method that uses an average of many observations.

A popular way to view the nanoscale structural details of delicate biological samples is to form them into crystals and zap them with X-rays, but that destroys their natural shape, especially fir the DNA-nanogold samples in this study, which the scientists say are incredibly challenging to crystallize. Other common research techniques may require a collection of thousands of near-identical objects, viewed with an electron microscope, to compile a single, averaged 3-D structure. But an averaged 3D image may not adequately show the natural shape fluctuations of a given object.

The samples in the latest experiment were formed from individual polygon gold nanostructures, measuring about 5 nanometers across, connected to single DNA-segment strands with 84 base pairs. Base pairs are basic chemical building blocks that give DNA its structure. Each individual DNA segment and gold nanoparticle naturally zipped together with a partner to form the double-stranded DNA segment with a gold particle at either end.

https://youtu.be/RDOpgj62PLU
Berkeley Lab | These views compare the various shape fluctuations obtained from different samples of the same type of double-helix DNA segment (DNA renderings in green, 3D reconstructions in purple) connected to gold nanoparticles (yellow).

The samples were flash-frozen to preserve their structure for study with cryo-EM imaging. The distance between the two gold nanoparticles in individual samples varied from 20 to 30 nanometers, based on different shapes observed in the DNA segments.

Researchers used a cryo-electron microscope at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry for this study. They collected a series of tilted images of the stained objects, and reconstructed 14 electron-density maps that detailed the structure of individual samples using the IPET technique.

Sub-nanometer images next

Ren said that the next step will be to work to improve the resolution to the sub-nanometer scale.

“Even in this current state we begin to see 3-D structures at 1- to 2-nanometer resolution,” he said. “Through better instrumentation and improved computational algorithms, it would be promising to push the resolution to that visualizing a single DNA helix within an individual protein.”

In future studies, researchers could attempt to improve the imaging resolution for complex structures that incorporate more DNA segments as a sort of “DNA origami,” Ren said. Researchers hope to build and better characterize nanoscale molecular devices using DNA segments that can, for example, store and deliver drugs to targeted areas in the body.

“DNA is easy to program, synthesize and replicate, so it can be used as a special material to quickly self-assemble into nanostructures and to guide the operation of molecular-scale devices,” he said. “Our current study is just a proof of concept for imaging these kinds of molecular devices’ structures.”

The team included researchers at UC Berkeley, the Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley, and Xi’an Jiaotong University in China. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation, DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences, National Institutes of Health, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Xi’an Jiaotong University in China, and the Ministry of Science and Technology in China. View more about Gary Ren’s research group here.


Abstract of Three-dimensional structural dynamics and fluctuations of DNA-nanogold conjugates by individual-particle electron tomography

DNA base pairing has been used for many years to direct the arrangement of inorganic nanocrystals into small groupings and arrays with tailored optical and electrical properties. The control of DNA-mediated assembly depends crucially on a better understanding of three-dimensional structure of DNA-nanocrystal-hybridized building blocks. Existing techniques do not allow for structural determination of these flexible and heterogeneous samples. Here we report cryo-electron microscopy and negative-staining electron tomography approaches to image, and three-dimensionally reconstruct a single DNA-nanogold conjugate, an 84-bp double-stranded DNA with two 5-nm nanogold particles for potential substrates in plasmon-coupling experiments. By individual-particle electron tomography reconstruction, we obtain 14 density maps at ~2-nm resolution. Using these maps as constraints, we derive 14 conformations of dsDNA by molecular dynamics simulations. The conformational variation is consistent with that from liquid solution, suggesting that individual-particle electron tomography could be an expected approach to study DNA-assembling and flexible protein structure and dynamics.

 

World’s smallest electronic diode made from single DNA molecule

Electronic components 1,000 times smaller than with silicon may be possible
http://www.kurzweilai.net/worlds-smallest-electronic-diode-made-from-single-dna-molecule
By inserting a small “coralyne” molecule into DNA, scientists were able to create a single-molecule diode (connected here by two gold electrodes), which can be used as an active element in future nanoscale circuits. The diode circuit symbol is shown on the left. (credit: University of Georgia and Ben-Gurion University)

Nanoscale electronic components can be made from single DNA molecules, as researchers at the University of Georgia and at Ben-Gurion University in Israel have demonstrated, using a single molecule of DNA to create the world’s smallest diode.

DNA double helix with base pairs (credit: National Human Genome Research Institute)

A diode is a component vital to electronic devices that allows current to flow in one direction but prevents its flow in the other direction. The development could help stimulate development of DNA components for molecular electronics.

As noted in an open-access Nature Chemistry paper published this week, the researchers designed a 11-base-pair (bp) DNA molecule and inserted a small molecule named coralyne into the DNA.*

They found, surprisingly, that this caused the current flowing through the DNA to be 15 times stronger for negative voltages than for positive voltages, a necessary feature of a diode.

Electronic elements 1,00o times smaller than current components

“Our discovery can lead to progress in the design and construction of nanoscale electronic elements that are at least 1,000 times smaller than current components,” says the study’s lead author, Bingqian Xu an associate professor in the UGA College of Engineering and an adjunct professor in chemistry and physics.

The research team plans to enhance the performance of the molecular diode and construct additional molecular devices, which may include a transistor (similar to a two-layer diode, but with one additional layer).

A theoretical model developed by Yanantan Dubi of Ben-Gurion University indicated the diode-like behavior of DNA originates from the bias voltage-induced breaking of spatial symmetry inside the DNA molecule after the coralyne is inserted.

The research is supported by the National Science Foundation.

*“We prepared the DNA–coralyne complex by specifically intercalating two coralyne molecules into a custom-designed 11-base-pair (bp) DNA molecule (5′-CGCGAAACGCG-3′) containing three mismatched A–A base pairs at the centre,” according to the authors.

UPDATE April 6, 2016 to clarify the coralyne intercalation (insertion) into the DNA molecule.


Abstract of Molecular rectifier composed of DNA with high rectification ratio enabled by intercalation

The predictability, diversity and programmability of DNA make it a leading candidate for the design of functional electronic devices that use single molecules, yet its electron transport properties have not been fully elucidated. This is primarily because of a poor understanding of how the structure of DNA determines its electron transport. Here, we demonstrate a DNA-based molecular rectifier constructed by site-specific intercalation of small molecules (coralyne) into a custom-designed 11-base-pair DNA duplex. Measured current–voltage curves of the DNA–coralyne molecular junction show unexpectedly large rectification with a rectification ratio of about 15 at 1.1 V, a counter-intuitive finding considering the seemingly symmetrical molecular structure of the junction. A non-equilibrium Green’s function-based model—parameterized by density functional theory calculations—revealed that the coralyne-induced spatial asymmetry in the electron state distribution caused the observed rectification. This inherent asymmetry leads to changes in the coupling of the molecular HOMO−1 level to the electrodes when an external voltage is applied, resulting in an asymmetric change in transmission.

 

A stem-cell repair system that can regenerate any kind of human tissue …including disease and aging; human trials next year
http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-stem-cell-repair-system-that-can-regenerate-any-kind-of-human-tissue

http://www.kurzweilai.net/images/spinal_disc_regeneration.jpg

UNSW researchers say the therapy has enormous potential for treating spinal disc injury and joint and muscle degeneration and could also speed up recovery following complex surgeries where bones and joints need to integrate with the body (credit: UNSW TV)

A stem cell therapy system capable of regenerating any human tissue damaged by injury, disease, or aging could be available within a few years, say University of New South Wales (UNSW Australia) researchers.

Their new repair system*, similar to the method used by salamanders to regenerate limbs, could be used to repair everything from spinal discs to bone fractures, and could transform current treatment approaches to regenerative medicine.

The UNSW-led research was published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

Reprogramming bone and fat cells

The system reprograms bone and fat cells into induced multipotent stem cells (iMS), which can regenerate multiple tissue types and has been successfully demonstrated in mice, according to study lead author, haematologist, and UNSW Associate Professor John Pimanda.

“This technique is a significant advance on many of the current unproven stem cell therapies, which have shown little or no objective evidence they contribute directly to new tissue formation,” Pimanda said. “We have taken bone and fat cells, switched off their memory and converted them into stem cells so they can repair different cell types once they are put back inside the body.”

“We are currently assessing whether adult human fat cells reprogrammed into iMS cells can safely repair damaged tissue in mice, with human trials expected to begin in late 2017.”

http://www.kurzweilai.net/images/UNSW-stem-cell-repair.jpg

Advantages over stem-cell types

There are different types of stem cells including embryonic stem (ES) cells, which during embryonic development generate every type of cell in the human body, and adult stem cells, which are tissue-specific, but don’t regenerate multiple tissue types. Embryonic stem cells cannot be used to treat damaged tissues because of their tumor forming capacity. The other problem when generating stem cells is the requirement to use viruses to transform cells into stem cells, which is clinically unacceptable, the researchers note.

Research shows that up to 20% of spinal implants either don’t heal or there is delayed healing. The rates are higher for smokers, older people and patients with diseases such diabetes or kidney disease.

Human trials are planned next year once the safety and effectiveness of the technique using human cells in mice has been demonstrated.

* The technique involves extracting adult human fat cells and treating them with the compound 5-Azacytidine (AZA), along with platelet-derived growth factor-AB (PDGF-AB) for about two days. The cells are then treated with the growth factor alone for a further two-three weeks.

AZA is known to induce cell plasticity, which is crucial for reprogramming cells. The AZA compound relaxes the hard-wiring of the cell, which is expanded by the growth factor, transforming the bone and fat cells into iMS cells. When the stem cells are inserted into the damaged tissue site, they multiply, promoting growth and healing.

The new technique is similar to salamander limb regeneration, which is also dependent on the plasticity of differentiated cells, which can repair multiple tissue types, depending on which body part needs replacing.

Along with confirming that human adult fat cells reprogrammed into iMS stem cells can safely repair damaged tissue in mice, the researchers said further work is required to establish whether iMS cells remain dormant at the sites of transplantation and retain their capacity to proliferate on demand.

https://youtu.be/zAMCBNujzzw

Abstract of PDGF-AB and 5-Azacytidine induce conversion of somatic cells into tissue-regenerative multipotent stem cells

Current approaches in tissue engineering are geared toward generating tissue-specific stem cells. Given the complexity and heterogeneity of tissues, this approach has its limitations. An alternate approach is to induce terminally differentiated cells to dedifferentiate into multipotent proliferative cells with the capacity to regenerate all components of a damaged tissue, a phenomenon used by salamanders to regenerate limbs. 5-Azacytidine (AZA) is a nucleoside analog that is used to treat preleukemic and leukemic blood disorders. AZA is also known to induce cell plasticity. We hypothesized that AZA-induced cell plasticity occurs via a transient multipotent cell state and that concomitant exposure to a receptive growth factor might result in the expansion of a plastic and proliferative population of cells. To this end, we treated lineage-committed cells with AZA and screened a number of different growth factors with known activity in mesenchyme-derived tissues. Here, we report that transient treatment with AZA in combination with platelet-derived growth factor–AB converts primary somatic cells into tissue-regenerative multipotent stem (iMS) cells. iMS cells possess a distinct transcriptome, are immunosuppressive, and demonstrate long-term self-renewal, serial clonogenicity, and multigerm layer differentiation potential. Importantly, unlike mesenchymal stem cells, iMS cells contribute directly to in vivo tissue regeneration in a context-dependent manner and, unlike embryonic or pluripotent stem cells, do not form teratomas. Taken together, this vector-free method of generating iMS cells from primary terminally differentiated cells has significant scope for application in tissue regeneration.

 

First transistors made entirely of nanocrystal ‘inks’ in simplified process

Transistors and other electronic components to be built into flexible or wearable applications; 3D printing planned
http://www.kurzweilai.net/first-transistors-made-entirely-of-nanocrystal-inks
Because this process works at relatively low temperatures, many transistors can be made on a flexible backing at once. (credit: University of Pennsylvania)

University of Pennsylvania engineers have developed a simplified new approach for making transistors by sequentially depositing their components in the form of liquid nanocrystal “inks.” The new process open the door for transistors and other electronic components to be built into flexible or wearable applications. It also avoids the highly complex current process for creating transistors, which requires high-temperature, high-vacuum equipment. Also, the new lower-temperature process is compatible with a wide array of materials and can be applied to larger areas.

Transistors patterned on plastic backing

The researchers’ nanocrystal-based field effect transistors were patterned onto flexible plastic backings using spin coating, but could eventually be constructed by additive manufacturing systems, like 3D printers.

Published in the journal Science,  the study was lead by Cherie Kagan, the Stephen J. Angello Professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Ji-Hyuk Choi, then a member of her lab, now a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources. Researchers at Korea University Korea’s Yonsei University were also involved.

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Kagan’s group developed four nanocrystal inks that comprise the transistor, then deposited them on a flexible backing. (credit: University of Pennsylvania)

The researchers began by dispersing a specific type of nanocrystals in a liquid, creating nanocrystal inks. They developed a library of four of these inks: a conductor (silver), an insulator (aluminum oxide), a semiconductor (cadmium selenide), and a conductor combined with a dopant (a mixture of silver and indium). (“Doping” the semiconductor layer of a transistor with impurities controls whether the device creates a positive or negative charge.)

“These materials are colloids just like the ink in your inkjet printer,” Kagan said, “but you can get all the characteristics that you want and expect from the analogous bulk materials, such as whether they’re conductors, semiconductors or insulators.” Although the electrical properties of several of these nanocrystal inks had been independently verified, they had never been combined into full devices. “Our question was whether you could lay them down on a surface in such a way that they work together to form functional transistors.”

Laying down patterns in layers

Such a process entails layering or mixing them in precise patterns.

First, the conductive silver nanocrystal ink was deposited from liquid on a flexible plastic surface that was treated with a photolithographic mask, then rapidly spun to draw it out in an even layer. The mask was then removed to leave the silver ink in the shape of the transistor’s gate electrode.

The researchers followed that layer by spin-coating a layer of the aluminum oxide nanocrystal-based insulator, then a layer of the cadmium selenide nanocrystal-based semiconductor and finally another masked layer for the indium/silver mixture, which forms the transistor’s source and drain electrodes. Upon heating at relatively low temperatures, the indium dopant diffused from those electrodes into the semiconductor component.

“The trick with working with solution-based materials is making sure that, when you add the second layer, it doesn’t wash off the first, and so on,” Kagan said. “We had to treat the surfaces of the nanocrystals, both when they’re first in solution and after they’re deposited, to make sure they have the right electrical properties and that they stick together in the configuration we want.”

Because this entirely ink-based fabrication process works at lower temperatures than existing vacuum-based methods, the researchers were able to make several transistors on the same flexible plastic backing at the same time.

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The inks’ specialized surface chemistry allowed them to stay in configuration without losing their electrical properties. (credit: University of Pennsylvania)

“Making transistors over larger areas and at lower temperatures have been goals for an emerging class of technologies, when people think of the Internet of things, large area flexible electronics and wearable devices,” Kagan said. “We haven’t developed all of the necessary aspects so they could be printed yet, but because these materials are all solution-based, it demonstrates the promise of this materials class and sets the stage for additive manufacturing.”

Because this entirely ink-based fabrication process works at lower temperatures than existing vacuum-based methods, the researchers were able to make several transistors on the same flexible plastic backing at the same time.

3D-printing transistors for wearables

“This is the first work,” Choi said, “showing that all the components, the metallic, insulating, and semiconducting layers of the transistors, and even the doping of the semiconductor, could be made from nanocrystals.”

“Making transistors over larger areas and at lower temperatures have been goals for an emerging class of technologies, when people think of the Internet of things, large area flexible electronics and wearable devices,” Kagan said. “We haven’t developed all of the necessary aspects so they could be printed yet, but because these materials are all solution-based, it demonstrates the promise of this materials class and sets the stage for additive manufacturing.”

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Office of Naval Research, and the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning of Korea.


Abstract of Exploiting the colloidal nanocrystal library to construct electronic devices

Synthetic methods produce libraries of colloidal nanocrystals with tunable physical properties by tailoring the nanocrystal size, shape, and composition. Here, we exploit colloidal nanocrystal diversity and design the materials, interfaces, and processes to construct all-nanocrystal electronic devices using solution-based processes. Metallic silver and semiconducting cadmium selenide nanocrystals are deposited to form high-conductivity and high-mobility thin-film electrodes and channel layers of field-effect transistors. Insulating aluminum oxide nanocrystals are assembled layer by layer with polyelectrolytes to form high–dielectric constant gate insulator layers for low-voltage device operation. Metallic indium nanocrystals are codispersed with silver nanocrystals to integrate an indium supply in the deposited electrodes that serves to passivate and dope the cadmium selenide nanocrystal channel layer. We fabricate all-nanocrystal field-effect transistors on flexible plastics with electron mobilities of 21.7 square centimeters per volt-second.

Best textile manufacturing methods for creating human tissues with stem cells
Bioengineers determine three best processes for engineering tissues needed for organ and tissue repair
http://www.kurzweilai.net/best-textile-manufacturing-methods-for-creating-human-tissues-with-stem-cells
All four textile manufacturing processes and corresponding scaffold (structure) types studied exhibited the presence of lipid vacuoles (small red spheres, right column, indicating stem cells undergoing random differentiation), compared to control (left). Electrospun scaffolds (row a) exhibited only a monolayer of lipid vacuoles in a single focal plane, while meltblown, spunbond, and carded scaffolds (rows b, c, d) exhibited vacuoles in multiple planes throughout the fabric thickness. Scale bars: 100 μm (credit: S. A. Tuin et al./Biomedical Materials)

Elizabeth Loboa, dean of the Missouri University College of Engineering, and her team have tested new tissue- engineering methods (based on textile manufacturing) to find ones that are most cost-effective and can be produced in larger quantities.

Tissue engineering is a process that uses novel biomaterials seeded with stem cells to grow and replace missing tissues. When certain types of materials are used, the “scaffolds” that are created to hold stem cells eventually degrade, leaving natural tissue in its place. The new tissues could help patients suffering from wounds caused by diabetes and circulation disorders, patients in need of cartilage or bone repair, and women who have had mastectomies by replacing their breast tissue. The challenge is creating enough of the material on a scale that clinicians need to treat patients.

Comparing textile manufacturing techniques

http://www.kurzweilai.net/images/electrospinning.png

Electrospinning experiment: nanofibers are collected into an ethanol bath and removed at predefined time intervals (credit: J. M. Coburn et al./The Johns Hopkins University/PNAS)

In typical tissue engineering approaches that use fibers as scaffolds, non-woven materials are often bonded together using an electrostatic field. This process, called electrospinning (see Nanoscale scaffolds and stem cells show promise in cartilage repair and Improved artificial blood vessels), creates the scaffolds needed to attach to stem cells.

However, large-scale production with electrospinning is not cost-effective. “Electrospinning produces weak fibers, scaffolds that are not consistent, and pores that are too small,” Loboa said. “The goal of ‘scaling up’ is to produce hundreds of meters of material that look the same, have the same properties, and can be used in clinical settings. So we investigated the processes that create textiles, such as clothing and window furnishings like drapery, to scale up the manufacturing process.”

The group published two papers using three industry-standard, high-throughput manufacturing techniques — meltblowing, spunbonding, and carding — to determine if they would create the materials needed to mimic native tissue.

Meltblowing is a technique during which nonwoven materials are created using a molten polymer to create continuous fibers. Spunbond materials are made much the same way but the fibers are drawn into a web while in a solid state instead of a molten one. Carding involves the separation of fibers through the use of rollers, forming the web needed to hold stem cells in place.

http://www.kurzweilai.net/images/carded-scaffold-fabrication.jpg

Schematic of gilled fiber multifilament spinning and carded scaffold fabrication (credit: Stephen A. Tuin et al./Acta Biomaterialia)

Cost-effective methods

Loboa and her colleagues tested these techniques to create polylactic acid (PLA) scaffolds (a Food and Drug Administration-approved material used as collagen fillers), seeded with human stem cells. They then spent three weeks studying whether the stem cells remained healthy and if they began to differentiate into fat and bone pathways, which is the goal of using stem cells in a clinical setting when new bone and/or new fat tissue is needed at a defect site. Results showed that the three textile manufacturing methods proved as viable if not more so than electrospinning.

“These alternative methods are more cost-effective than electrospinning,” Loboa said. “A small sample of electrospun material could cost between $2 to $5. The cost for the three manufacturing methods is between $.30 to $3.00; these methods proved to be effective and efficient. Next steps include testing how the different scaffolds created in the three methods perform once implanted in animals.”

Researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were also involved in the two studies, which were published in Biomedical Materials (open access) and Acta Biomaterialia. The National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Nonwovens Institute provided funding for the studies.


Abstract of Creating tissues from textiles: scalable nonwoven manufacturing techniques for fabrication of tissue engineering scaffolds

Electrospun nonwovens have been used extensively for tissue engineering applications due to their inherent similarities with respect to fibre size and morphology to that of native extracellular matrix (ECM). However, fabrication of large scaffold constructs is time consuming, may require harsh organic solvents, and often results in mechanical properties inferior to the tissue being treated. In order to translate nonwoven based tissue engineering scaffold strategies to clinical use, a high throughput, repeatable, scalable, and economic manufacturing process is needed. We suggest that nonwoven industry standard high throughput manufacturing techniques (meltblowing, spunbond, and carding) can meet this need. In this study, meltblown, spunbond and carded poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nonwovens were evaluated as tissue engineering scaffolds using human adipose derived stem cells (hASC) and compared to electrospun nonwovens. Scaffolds were seeded with hASC and viability, proliferation, and differentiation were evaluated over the course of 3 weeks. We found that nonwovens manufactured via these industry standard, commercially relevant manufacturing techniques were capable of supporting hASC attachment, proliferation, and both adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of hASC, making them promising candidates for commercialization and translation of nonwoven scaffold based tissue engineering strategies.


Abstract of Fabrication of novel high surface area mushroom gilled fibers and their effects on human adipose derived stem cells under pulsatile fluid flow for tissue engineering applications

The fabrication and characterization of novel high surface area hollow gilled fiber tissue engineering scaffolds via industrially relevant, scalable, repeatable, high speed, and economical nonwoven carding technology is described. Scaffolds were validated as tissue engineering scaffolds using human adipose derived stem cells (hASC) exposed to pulsatile fluid flow (PFF). The effects of fiber morphology on the proliferation and viability of hASC, as well as effects of varied magnitudes of shear stress applied via PFF on the expression of the early osteogenic gene marker runt related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) were evaluated. Gilled fiber scaffolds led to a significant increase in proliferation of hASC after seven days in static culture, and exhibited fewer dead cells compared to pure PLA round fiber controls. Further, hASC-seeded scaffolds exposed to 3 and 6 dyn/cm2 resulted in significantly increased mRNA expression of RUNX2 after one hour of PFF in the absence of soluble osteogenic induction factors. This is the first study to describe a method for the fabrication of high surface area gilled fibers and scaffolds. The scalable manufacturing process and potential fabrication across multiple nonwoven and woven platforms makes them promising candidates for a variety of applications that require high surface area fibrous materials.

Statement of Significance

We report here for the first time the successful fabrication of novel high surface area gilled fiber scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Gilled fibers led to a significant increase in proliferation of human adipose derived stem cells after one week in culture, and a greater number of viable cells compared to round fiber controls. Further, in the absence of osteogenic induction factors, gilled fibers led to significantly increased mRNA expression of an early marker for osteogenesis after exposure to pulsatile fluid flow. This is the first study to describe gilled fiber fabrication and their potential for tissue engineering applications. The repeatable, industrially scalable, and versatile fabrication process makes them promising candidates for a variety of scaffold-based tissue engineering applications.

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