The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

13 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Medicine

Collection and Extraction of Saliva DNA for Next Generation Sequencing

Michael R. Goode¹, Soo Yeon Cheong¹, Ning Li¹, William C. Ray^1,2, Christopher W. Bartlett^1,3

¹Battelle Center for Mathematical Medicine, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, ²The Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biophysics, The Ohio State University, ³Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University

DNA extraction from saliva can provide a readily available source of high molecular weight DNA, with little to no degradation/fragmentation. This protocol provides optimized parameters for saliva collection/storage and DNA extraction to be of sufficient quality and quantity for downstream DNA assays with high quality requirements.

Cancer Research

How to Study Basement Membrane Stiffness as a Biophysical Trigger in Prostate Cancer and Other Age-related Pathologies or Metabolic Diseases

Mercedes Rodriguez-Teja¹, Claudia Breit², Mitchell Clarke³, Kamil Talar³, Kai Wang³, Mohammad A. Mohammad³, Sage Pickwell³, Guillermina Etchandy¹, Graeme J. Stasiuk³, Justin Sturge³

¹Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República (UDELAR), ²Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, ³School of Biological, Biomedical & Environmental Sciences, University of Hull

Here we explain a protocol for modelling the biophysical microenvironment where crosslinking and increased stiffness of the basement membrane (BM) induced by advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) has pathological relevance.

Bioengineering

Expanding Nanopatterned Substrates Using Stitch Technique for Nanotopographical Modulation of Cell Behavior

Kai Wang¹, Kam W. Leong², Yong Yang¹

¹Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, West Virginia University, ²Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University

A protocol for producing a large area of nanopatterned substrate from small nanopatterned molds for study of nanotopographical modulation of cell behavior is presented.

Bioengineering

Scaffold-supported Transplantation of Islets in the Epididymal Fat Pad of Diabetic Mice

Kai Wang^*1, Xi Wang^*1, Cheng-sheng Han^*2, Liang-yi Chen², Ying Luo¹

¹Department of Biomedical Engineering, Peking University, ²Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University

This protocol demonstrates murine islet isolation and seeding onto a decellularized scaffold. Scaffold-supported islets were transplanted into the epididymal fat pad of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Islets survived at the transplantation site and reversed the hyperglycemic condition.

Engineering

An Available Technique for Preparation of New Cast MnCuNiFeZnAl Alloy with Superior Damping Capacity and High Service Temperature

Dong Li^1,3, Wenbo Liu^1,2, Ning Li¹, Zhenyu Zhong¹, Jiazhen Yan¹, Sanqiang Shi²

¹School of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, ²Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, ³Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Chengdu Aeronautic Polytechnic

Here we present a protocol to obtain a novel Mn-Cu-based alloy with excellent comprehensive performances by a high-quality smelting technology and reasonable heat treatment methods.

Biology

Implantation of Electrospun Vascular Grafts with Optimized Structure in a Rat Model

Kang Qin¹, Yifan Wu¹, Yiwa Pan¹, Kai Wang¹, Deling Kong¹, Qiang Zhao¹

¹State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Bioactive Materials (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Nankai University

Here, we present a modified electrospinning method to fabricate PCL vascular grafts with thick fibers and large pores, and describe a protocol to evaluate the in vivo performance in a rat model of abdominal aorta replacement.

Engineering

Femtosecond Laser Filaments for Use in Sub-Diffraction-Limited Imaging and Remote Sensing

Matthews M. Springer¹, Benjamin D. Strycker^1,2, Kai Wang¹, Alexei V. Sokolov^1,2, Marlan O. Scully^1,2

¹Texas A&M University, ²Baylor University

High-intensity femtosecond pulses of laser light can undergo cycles of Kerr self-focusing and plasma defocusing, propagating an intense sub-millimeter-diameter beam over long distances. We describe a technique for generating and using these filaments to perform remote imaging and sensing beyond the classical diffraction limits of linear optics.

Biology

A Labor-saving and Repeatable Touch-force Signaling Mutant Screen Protocol for the Study of Thigmomorphogenesis of a Model Plant Arabidopsis thaliana

Kai Wang¹, Kayin Law¹, Manhin Leung¹, Waishing Wong¹, Ning Li^1,2

¹Division of Life Science, Energy Institute, Institute for the Environment, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, ²Shenzhen Research Institute, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

A gentle touch-force loading machine is built from human hair brushes, robotic arms and a controller. The hair brushes are driven by robotic arms installed on the machine and move periodically to apply touch-force on plants. The strength of machine-driven hair touches is comparable to that of manually applied touches.

Behavior

Home-Based Prescribed Pulmonary Exercise in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Xiaodan Liu^1,2, Peijun Li³, Jian Li³, Lu Xiao¹, Ning Li³, Yufan Lu³, Zhengrong Wang³, Jianqing Su³, Zhenwei Wang⁴, Chunlei Shan^1,2, Weibing Wu³

¹School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, ²Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, ³Department of Sports Medicine, Shanghai University of Sport, ⁴Department of Respiratory Medicine, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine

Presented here is a protocol to investigate the effects of home-based prescribed pulmonary exercise in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, which is modified based on traditional Chinese exercises according to dyspnea and limited exercise capacity observed in COPD patients.

JoVE Core

Fabrication of Thin Film Silver/Silver Chloride Electrodes with Finely Controlled Single Layer Silver Chloride

Kai Chun Eddie Tjon¹, Jie Yuan¹

¹Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

This paper aims to present a method to form smooth and well-controlled films of silver chloride (AgCl) with designated coverage on top of thin film silver electrodes.

Bioengineering

Molecular Spring Constant Analysis by Biomembrane Force Probe Spectroscopy

Peyman Obeidy¹, Haoqing Wang^1,2,3, Mingqin Du¹, Huiqian Hu^1,4, Fang Zhou¹, Haoruo Zhou⁵, Hao Huang⁵, Yunduo Charles Zhao^1,2, Lining Arnold Ju^1,2,3

¹School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Sydney, ²Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, ³Heart Research Institute, ⁴Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, ⁵School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Sydney

A biomembrane force probe (BFP) is an in situ dynamic force spectroscopy (DFS) technique. BFP can be used to measure the spring constant of molecular interactions on living cells. This protocol presents spring constant analysis for molecular bonds detected by BFP.

Bioengineering

In vivo Imaging of Biological Tissues with Combined Two-Photon Fluorescence and Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy

Wanjie Wu¹, Xuesong Li¹, Jianan Y. Qu^1,2,3,4, Sicong He⁵

¹Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, ²State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, ³Center of Systems Biology and Human Health, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, ⁴Molecular Neuroscience Center, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, ⁵Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology

Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy allows label-free imaging of biomolecules based on their intrinsic vibration of specific chemical bonds. In this protocol, the instrumental setup of an integrated SRS and two-photon fluorescence microscope is described to visualize cellular structures in the spinal cord of live mice.

Bioengineering

Optical Trapping of Plasmonic Nanoparticles for In Situ Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Characterizations

Xin Dai^1,2, Wenting Qiu^1,2, Jinqing Huang^1,2

¹HKUST-Shenzhen Research Institute, ²Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The present protocol describes a convenient approach to integrating optical trapping and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to manipulate plasmonic nanoparticles for sensitive molecular detection. Without aggregating agents, the trapping laser assembles plasmonic nanoparticles to enhance the SERS signals of target analytes for in situ spectroscopic measurements.