Biomedical subjects

Arnaud Bertsch

Publications and source records attributed to Arnaud Bertsch.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

pH-controlled diffusion of proteins with different pI values across a nanochannel on a chip.

Electrostatic interactions dominate the diffusion of proteins in a nanochannel, which was measured and modeled for pH values above and below the isoelectric points of three lectin proteins. Maximal diffusion coefficients were obtained when the proteins were neutral at their pI. This pH-controlled transport led to a separation of biomolecules across the nanochannel. A pI shift was observed, due to reversible adsorption of proteins on the walls, which affects the pH in the nanochannel.

Diffusion↗

PubMed2004

Dielectric spectroscopy in a micromachined flow cytometer: theoretical and practical considerations.

We propose a model to determine the influence of different cell properties, such as size, membrane capacitance and cytoplasm conductivity, on the impedance spectrum as measured in a microfabricated cytometer. A dielectric sphere of equivalent complex permittivity is used as a simplified model to describe a biological cell. The measurement takes place between a pair of facing microelectrodes in a microchannel filled with a saline solution. The model incorporates various cell parameters, such as dielectric properties, size and position in the channel. A 3D finite element model is used to evaluate the magnitude of the electric field in the channel and the resultant changes in charge densities at the measurement electrode boundaries as a cell flows past. The charge density is integrated on the electrode surface to determine the displacement current and the channel impedance for the computed frequency range. The complete impedance model combines the finite element model, the electrode-electrolyte interface impedance and stray impedance, which are measured from a real device. The modeled dielectric complex spectra for various cell parameters are discussed and a measurement strategy for cell discrimination with such a system is proposed. We finally discuss the amount of noise and measurement fluctuations of the sensor.

Cell Physiological Phenomena↗

PubMed2004

Cell immersion and cell dipping in microfluidic devices.

Combining deflective dielectrophoretic barriers with controlled pressure driven liquid flows in microfluidic devices allows accurate handling of particles such as biological cells in suspensions. Working towards cell-based lab-on-a-chip applications, a platform permitting rapid testing of devices having different dielectrophoretic and fluidic subunits was developed. The performance of such a system is shown in the cases of (A) flooding a small number of immobilised cells with a dye and (B) transient buffer swapping of a large number of cells in flow. The transition times for moving cells from one reagent to the other are below 0.5 s in the case of flow-through cell dipping.

Biotechnology↗

PubMed2004

Resistivity probing of multi-layered tissue phantoms using microelectrodes.

We present the use of an array of rectangular microelectrodes to discriminate between different resistivities in a thin, layered sample. Each electrode was 8 mm long and 200 nm thick. The electrode widths ranged from 20 to 500 microm. The electrodes were designed such that all pairs of consecutive electrodes had the same relative geometry, and therefore identical cell constants. A hydrogel-based tissue phantom, made by photopolymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), was developed. By changing the hydrogel composition and the ionic strength of the storage medium, the resistivity of the hydrogels could be tuned between 100 omegam and 100 komegam. Using bipolar measurements, the tissue phantoms were characterized in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 30 MHz. The relative resistivity distribution of a three-layered structure composed of 120 microm sheets could be calculated and was shown to agree to within 7% of the bulk measurements. Potential clinical applications for this technique include probing of epithelial tissue and skin cancer screening.

Connective Tissue↗

PubMed2004

First steps toward noninvasive intraocular pressure monitoring with a sensing contact lens.

PURPOSE: To present a novel and minimally invasive approach to intraocular pressure (IOP) monitoring based on a sensing contact lens. METHODS: The key element of this measurement method is a soft contact lens with an embedded microfabricated strain gauge allowing the measurement of changes in corneal curvature correlated to variations in IOP. A prototype of this sensing contact lens was adapted and tested on enucleated porcine eyes. To verify the measurement principle of the device, the posterior chamber of the pig eyes was cannulated and connected to a syringe pump and a pressure sensor for precise control of IOP. The measurements of the contact lens were then compared to the ones from the pressure sensor, while pressure variations were induced through the cannula. RESULTS: Enucleated porcine eyes were stimulated with increasing and decreasing ramps of IOP. Measurements from the sensing contact lens and from the pressure sensor showed very good correlation, proving the high potential of this new measurement principle. In this study, a typical signal from the sensing contact lens obtained during the experiments is presented and discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The sensing contact lens shows the potential for continuously monitoring IOP in enucleated porcine eyes. The ultimate step will be the validation of the system and the reproducibility of results in humans. The device is placed in the same way as a corrective contact lens, no anesthesia is required, and vision remains almost unimpaired. This device would allow minimally invasive IOP monitoring over prolonged periods, regardless of the patient's position and activity, thus opening up new diagnostic and therapeutic methods for the management of glaucoma.

Animals↗