Loughborough University

4 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Bioengineering

Adapting the Electrospinning Process to Provide Three Unique Environments for a Tri-layered In Vitro Model of the Airway Wall

Jack C. Bridge¹, Jonathan W. Aylott², Christopher E. Brightling⁵, Amir M. Ghaemmaghami³, Alan J. Knox⁴, Mark P. Lewis⁶, Felicity R.A.J. Rose¹, Gavin E. Morris¹

¹Division of Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering, University of Nottingham, ²Laboratory of Biophysics and Surface Analysis, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, ³Division of Immunology and Allergy, School of Molecular Medical Sciences, University of Nottingham, ⁴Division of Respiratory Medicine, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Nottingham, ⁵NIHR Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, University of Leicester, ⁶School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences, Loughborough University

Advancements in biomaterial technologies enable the development of three-dimensional multi-cell-type constructs. We have developed electrospinning protocols to produce three individual scaffolds to culture the main structural cells of the airway to provide a 3D in vitro model of the airway bronchiole wall.

Chemistry

A Simple, Low-cost, and Robust System to Measure the Volume of Hydrogen Evolved by Chemical Reactions with Aqueous Solutions

Paul Brack¹, Sandie Dann¹, K. G. Upul Wijayantha¹, Paul Adcock², Simon Foster²

¹Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, ²Intelligent Energy Ltd

The study of methods to generate on-demand hydrogen for fuel cells continues to grow in importance. However, systems to measure hydrogen evolution from the reaction of chemicals with water can be complicated and expensive. This article details a simple, low-cost, and robust method to measure the evolution of hydrogen gas.

Bioengineering

Determination of Zeta Potential via Nanoparticle Translocation Velocities through a Tunable Nanopore: Using DNA-modified Particles as an Example

Emma L. C. J. Blundell¹, Robert Vogel^2,3, Mark Platt¹

¹Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Loughborough University, ²Izon Science Limited, ³School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland

Here we use a polyurethane tunable nanopore integrated into a resistive pulse sensing technique to characterize nanoparticles surface chemistry via the measurement of particle translocation velocities, which can be used to determine the zeta potential of individual nanoparticles.

Biology

Single Extracellular Vesicle Transmembrane Protein Characterization by Nano-Flow Cytometry

Rebecca Lees^*1, Robert Tempest^*1, Alice Law^*1, Dimitri Aubert^*1, Owen G. Davies^*2, Soraya Williams^*2, Nick Peake^*3, Ben Peacock^*1

¹NanoFCM Co., Ltd, ²School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, ³Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University

The latest generation of EV characterization tools are capable of single EV analysis across multiple parameters simultaneously. Nano-flow cytometry measures all biological particles larger than 45 nm without labeling and identifies specific characteristics of subpopulations by a variety of fluorescent labeling techniques.