Abstract:
A sensor apparatus including a flexible substrate and a wrinkled conductor disposed on the flexible substrate. In some embodiments, the conductor includes micro-scale invaginations. Also disclosed are methods of making a sensor apparatus, including: placing a mask over a polymeric sheet, wherein the mask is configured to block regions of the polymeric sheet, depositing a conductive structure on the polymeric sheet at regions exposed through the mask, shrinking the polymeric sheet with conductive structure patterned on its surface by heating, and transferring the conductive structure to a flexible substrate. Also disclosed are methods of sensing a health condition of a user or patient. The methods include coupling a sensor apparatus to a surface of a user or patient overlying structures to be monitored. The sensor apparatus may include a crumpled conductor capable of detecting strain. Strain is detected by directing current through the sensor apparatus during flexing of the surface and measuring a characteristic of the sensor apparatus based on the strain to generate an output for a user, indicative of the condition of the user or patient.
Abstract:
A plate manufactured to enable samples of cells, micro-organisms, proteins, DNA, biomolecules and other biological media to be positioned at specific locations or sites on the plate for the purpose of performing addressable analyses on the samples. Preferably, some or all of the sites are built from a removable material or as pallets so that a subset of the samples of interest can be readily isolated from the plate for further processing or analysis. The plate can contain structures or chemical treatments that enhance or promote the attachment and/or function of the samples, and that promote or assist in their analyses. Use of the plate advantageously enables the selection and sorting of cells based on dynamic phenomena and the rapid establishment of stable tranfectants.
Abstract:
Systems and methods for patterning biological and non-biological material at specific sites on a plate, as well as growing three dimensional structures. Preferred embodiments comprise a plate with regions that will trap gas, usually in the form of bubbles, when the plate is submerged in liquid. Other embodiments of the present invention include a method for placing materials on the plate at predetermined locations through the use of trapped gas to prevent materials from collecting at unwanted regions. The plate has great utility for plating cells and tissues at specific sites, such as on an array. The disclosed method can also be used to coat the surface of a plate at specific locations for patterned coating applications and to build up materials to produce three dimensional structures, including micromechanical structures where the structures may be formed from living or nonliving material, organic or inorganic, and the like.
Abstract:
Systems and methods for patterning biological and non-biological material at specific sites on a plate, as well as growing three dimensional structures. Preferred embodiments comprise a plate (6) with regions (16) that will trap gas, usually in the form of bubbles (10), when the plate (6) is submerged in liquid. Other embodiments of the present invention include a method for placing materials on the plate (6) at predetermined locations through the use of trapped gas to prevent materials from collecting at unwante regions. The plate (6) has great utility for plating cells and tissues (5) at specific sites, such as on an array. The disclosed method can also be used to coat the surface of a plate (6) at specific locations for patterned coating applications and to build up materials to produce three dimensional structures, including micromechanical structures where the structures may be formed from living or nonliving material, organic or inorganic, and the like.
Abstract:
The invention provides apparatus and methods for subsecond lysis of selected cells (58) in a cell chamber (10) using a voltage pulse of 10 ms to 10 µs in duration followed by nearly simultaneous collection of the lysed cellular contents (59) into a capillary electrophoresis tube (42) or other suitable micro-collection device (15). Cell chambers (10) and capillary electrophoresis (42) tubes configured with electrodes (18, 19) for performing the electrical lysis are described. The influence of variables that govern the rate of cell lysis, such as the inter-electrode distance, pulse duration, and pulse strength are also described. The methods are illustrated using fluorophores that are loaded into a cell (10) and then collected following electrical lysis, separated by electrophoresis, and then detected by laser-induced fluorescence detection in a capillary electrophoresis system.
Abstract:
A directionally-sensitive device for detecting and processing vibration waves includes an array of polymeric optical waveguide resonators positioned between a light source, such as an LED array, and a light detector, such as a photodiode array. The resonators which are preferably oriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to incoming vibration waves, vibrate when a wave is detected, thus modulating light signals that are transmitted between the light source and the light detector. The light detector converts the modulated light into electrical signals which, in a preferred embodiment, are used to drive either the speaker of a hearing aid or the electrode array of a cochlear implant. The device is manufactured using a combination of traditional semiconductor processes and polymer microfabrication techniques.
Abstract:
The invention provides apparatus and methods for subsecond lysis of selected cells (58) in a cell chamber (10) using a voltage pulse of 10 ms to 10 µs in duration followed by nearly simultaneous collection of the lysed cellular contents (59) into a capillary electrophoresis tube (42) or other suitable micro-collection device (15). Cell chambers (10) and capillary electrophoresis (42) tubes configured with electrodes (18, 19) for performing the electrical lysis are described. The influence of variables that govern the rate of cell lysis, such as the inter-electrode distance, pulse duration, and pulse strength are also described. The methods are illustrated using fluorophores that are loaded into a cell (10) and then collected following electrical lysis, separated by electrophoresis, and then detected by laser-induced fluorescence detection in a capillary electrophoresis system.