Sanghoon Lee

Microscopic estimation of bacterial biomass requires determination of both biovolume and biovolume-to-biomass conversion. Both steps have uncertainty when applied to the very small bacteria typically found in natural seawater. In the present study, natural bacterioplankton assemblages were freshly collected, passed through 0.6-mum-pore-size Nuclepore filters to remove larger particulate materials, and diluted for growth in 0.22-mum-pore-size Millipore filter-sterilized unenriched seawater. This

Microfluidic technologies are emerging as an enabling tool for various applications in tissue engineering and cell biology. One emerging use of microfluidic systems is the generation of shape-controlled hydrogels (i.e., microfibers, microparticles, and hydrogel building blocks) for various biological applications. Furthermore, the microfluidic fabrication of cell-laden hydrogels is of great benefit for creating artificial scaffolds. In this paper, we review the current development of microfluidi

There has been a growing need for in vitro models of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease that would enable a better understanding of etiology and faster development of treatment strategies. However, meeting this demand has been held back by the limited ability to mimic the in vivo microenvironment in an in vitro system. Here, we developed a microfluidic chip based on three-dimensional (3D) neurospheroids that more closely mimics the in vivo brain microenvironment by providing

Microfluidic technologies have recently been shown to hold significant potential as novel tools for producing micro- and nano-scale structures for a variety of applications in tissue engineering and cell biology. Over the last decade, microfluidic spinning has emerged as an advanced method for fabricating fibers with diverse shapes and sizes without the use of complicated devices or facilities. In this critical review, we describe the current development of microfluidic-based spinning techniques

This review presents an application of micromixer technologies, which have driven a number of critical research trends over the past few decades, particularly for chemical and biological fields. Micromixer technologies in this review are categorized according to their applications: (1) chemical applications, including chemical synthesis, polymerization, and extraction; (2) biological applications, including DNA analysis, biological screening enzyme assays, protein folding; and (3) detection/anal

Alginate-only, cell-laden, and protein-immobilized hollow fibers are produced (see image). Cells remain alive within the hollow fibers due to the nontoxic fabrication process. Vascular tissue can be emulated by embedding endothelial cells into the alginate hollow fibers and then embedding these cell-laden fibers into smooth-muscle-cell-laden AGF hydrogels. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-

The liver, the largest organ in the human body, is a multi-functional organ with diverse metabolic activities that plays a critical role in maintaining the body and sustaining life. Although the liver has excellent regenerative and recuperative properties, damages caused by chronic liver diseases or viral infection may lead to permanent loss of liver functions. Studies of liver disease mechanism have focused on drug screening and liver tissue engineering techniques, including strategies based on

A culture-independent survey was performed to search for 16S rRNA gene sequences representing dominant and metabolically active bacteria in rhizosphere soil. PCR- and reverse transcription-PCR-derived clone libraries were constructed from DNA and RNA directly extracted from the soil sample. Acidobacteria-related sequences occupied an unusually large proportion (>50%) of both rDNA- and rRNA-derived clone libraries. This study suggested that the bacteria belonging to the phylum Acidobacteria might

Small (micro- to millimeter) soft polymeric aquabots that perform multifunctional operations in aqueous environments, effectively simulating their natural counterparts (see image)are presented. These aquabots have diverse muscle-like locomotive mechanisms as well as integrated organs including body structures, sensors, and drug-releasing systems. The demonstrated functions have potential applications in drug delivery, environmental monitoring, and inspection. Detailed facts of importance to spec