Engineering and Information Technology Collected Works - Research Publications
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ItemShielding Surfaces from Viruses and Bacteria with a Multiscale Coating(WILEY, 2022-08)The spread of viral and bacterial pathogens mediated by contact with surfaces is a leading cause of infection worldwide. COVID-19 and the continuous rise of deaths associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria highlight the need to impede surface-mediated transmission. A sprayable coating with an intrinsic ability to resist the uptake of bacteria and viruses from surfaces and droplets, such as those generated by sneezing or coughing, is reported. The coating also provides an effective microbicidal functionality against bacteria, providing a dual barrier against pathogen uptake and transmission. This antimicrobial functionality is fully preserved following scratching and other induced damage to its surface or 9 days of submersion in a highly concentrated suspension of bacteria. The coatings also register an 11-fold decrease in viral contamination compared to the noncoated surfaces.
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ItemSelf-Assembled Peptide Habitats to Model Tumor Metastasis(MDPI, 2022-06)Metastatic tumours are complex ecosystems; a community of multiple cell types, including cancerous cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells that exist within a supportive and specific microenvironment. The interplay of these cells, together with tissue specific chemical, structural and temporal signals within a three-dimensional (3D) habitat, direct tumour cell behavior, a subtlety that can be easily lost in 2D tissue culture. Here, we investigate a significantly improved tool, consisting of a novel matrix of functionally programmed peptide sequences, self-assembled into a scaffold to enable the growth and the migration of multicellular lung tumour spheroids, as proof-of-concept. This 3D functional model aims to mimic the biological, chemical, and contextual cues of an in vivo tumor more closely than a typically used, unstructured hydrogel, allowing spatial and temporal activity modelling. This approach shows promise as a cancer model, enhancing current understandings of how tumours progress and spread over time within their microenvironment.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableGuidelines for submitting biomaterials and biosensor manuscripts to Chemical Engineering Journal(ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA, 2022-01-15)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableChanging Fate: Reprogramming Cells via Engineered Nanoscale Delivery Materials(WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH, 2022-08)The incorporation of nanotechnology in regenerative medicine is at the nexus of fundamental innovations and early-stage breakthroughs, enabling exciting biomedical advances. One of the most exciting recent developments is the use of nanoscale constructs to influence the fate of cells, which are the basic building blocks of healthy function. Appropriate cell types can be effectively manipulated by direct cell reprogramming; a robust technique to manipulate cellular function and fate, underpinning burgeoning advances in drug delivery systems, regenerative medicine, and disease remodeling. Individual transcription factors, or combinations thereof, can be introduced into cells using both viral and nonviral delivery systems. Existing approaches have inherent limitations. Viral-based tools include issues of viral integration into the genome of the cells, the propensity for uncontrollable silencing, reduced copy potential and cell specificity, and neutralization via the immune response. Current nonviral cell reprogramming tools generally suffer from inferior expression efficiency. Nanomaterials are increasingly being explored to address these challenges and improve the efficacy of both viral and nonviral delivery because of their unique properties such as small size and high surface area. This review presents the state-of-the-art research in cell reprogramming, focused on recent breakthroughs in the deployment of nanomaterials as cell reprogramming delivery tools.
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ItemHybrid Self-Assembling Peptide/Gelatin Methacrylate (GelMA) Bioink Blend for Improved Bioprintability and Primary Myoblast Response(WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH, 2022-02)Organ fabrication as the solution to renewable donor demands requires the ability to spatially deposit viable cells into biologically relevant constructs; necessitating reliable and effective cell deposition through bioprinting and the subsequent ability to mature. However, effective bioink development demands advances in both printability and control of cellular response. Effective bioinks are designed to retain shape fidelity, influence cellular behavior, having bioactive morphologies stiffness and highly hydrated environment. Hybrid hydrogels are promising candidates as they reduce the need to re‐engineer materials for tissue‐specific properties, with each component offering beneficial properties. Herein, a multicomponent bioink is developed whereby gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) and fluorenylmethoxycarbonyprotected self‐assembling peptides (Fmoc‐SAPs) undergo coassembly to yield a tuneable bioink. This study shows that the reported fibronectin‐inspired fmoc‐SAPs present cell attachment epitopes RGD and PHSRN in the form of bioactive nanofibers; and that the GelMA enables superior printability, stability in media, and controlled mechanical properties. Importantly, when in the hybrid format, no disruption to either the methacrylate crosslinking of GelMA, or self‐assembled peptide fibril formation is observed. Finally, studies with primary myoblasts show over 98% viability at 72 h and differentiation into fused myotubes at one and two weeks demonstrate the utility of the material as a functional bioink for muscle engineering.
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ItemEngineering Fractal Photonic Metamaterials by Stochastic Self-Assembly of Nanoparticles(WILEY, 2021-07)The scale‐invariant features of fractal‐structured materials offer significant opportunities for the manipulation of short‐ and long‐range light–matter interactions in a 3D space, with recent photonics applications including biomolecular sensing and visible‐blind photodetectors. The development of synthesis methods for the large‐scale fabrication of fractal metamaterials with tuneable hierarchy bears significant potential and is the focus of many research fields. Among various fabrication routes, Brownian's motion‐driven coagulation of nanomaterials, below their sintering temperature, leads to fractal‐like structures presenting self‐similar properties at different length scales. Herein, an in‐depth investigation of the properties of fractal metamaterials obtained via the scalable self‐assembly of hot aerosols of TiO2, Bi2O3, and Au‐Bi2O3 nanoparticles, chosen as representative photonic materials, is reported. The fractal properties of these aerosol‐synthesized nanoparticle powders and thin films are systematically investigated via small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), image analysis, and theoretical modeling. It is demonstrated that in the diffusion‐limited aggregation (DLA) regime the fractal dimensions are preserved and in the range of 1.75–1.83 during the formation of the nanoparticle agglomerates, independently of the material. These findings provide a flexible platform for the engineering of macroscale 3D nanomaterials with hierarchical properties with potential applications ranging from energy harvesting to photocatalysis and sensing.
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ItemAn Outlook of Recent Advances in Chemiresistive Sensor-Based Electronic Nose Systems for Food Quality and Environmental Monitoring(MDPI, 2021-04)An electronic nose (Enose) relies on the use of an array of partially selective chemical gas sensors for identification of various chemical compounds, including volatile organic compounds in gas mixtures. They have been proposed as a portable low-cost technology to analyse complex odours in the food industry and for environmental monitoring. Recent advances in nanofabrication, sensor and microcircuitry design, neural networks, and system integration have considerably improved the efficacy of Enose devices. Here, we highlight different types of semiconducting metal oxides as well as their sensing mechanism and integration into Enose systems, including different pattern recognition techniques employed for data analysis. We offer a critical perspective of state-of-the-art commercial and custom-made Enoses, identifying current challenges for the broader uptake and use of Enose systems in a variety of applications.
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ItemEnhancing Peptide Biomaterials for Biofabrication(MDPI, 2021-08)Biofabrication using well-matched cell/materials systems provides unprecedented opportunities for dealing with human health issues where disease or injury overtake the body's native regenerative abilities. Such opportunities can be enhanced through the development of biomaterials with cues that appropriately influence embedded cells into forming functional tissues and organs. In this context, biomaterials' reliance on rigid biofabrication techniques needs to support the incorporation of a hierarchical mimicry of local and bulk biological cues that mimic the key functional components of native extracellular matrix. Advances in synthetic self-assembling peptide biomaterials promise to produce reproducible mimics of tissue-specific structures and may go some way in overcoming batch inconsistency issues of naturally sourced materials. Recent work in this area has demonstrated biofabrication with self-assembling peptide biomaterials with unique biofabrication technologies to support structural fidelity upon 3D patterning. The use of synthetic self-assembling peptide biomaterials is a growing field that has demonstrated applicability in dermal, intestinal, muscle, cancer and stem cell tissue engineering.
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ItemReplace and repair: Biomimetic bioprinting for effective muscle engineering(AIP Publishing, 2021-09-01)The debilitating effects of muscle damage, either through ischemic injury or volumetric muscle loss (VML), can have significant impacts on patients, and yet there are few effective treatments. This challenge arises when function is degraded due to significant amounts of skeletal muscle loss, beyond the regenerative ability of endogenous repair mechanisms. Currently available surgical interventions for VML are quite invasive and cannot typically restore function adequately. In response to this, many new bioengineering studies implicate 3D bioprinting as a viable option. Bioprinting for VML repair includes three distinct phases: printing and seeding, growth and maturation, and implantation and application. Although this 3D bioprinting technology has existed for several decades, the advent of more advanced and novel printing techniques has brought us closer to clinical applications. Recent studies have overcome previous limitations in diffusion distance with novel microchannel construct architectures and improved myotubule alignment with highly biomimetic nanostructures. These structures may also enhance angiogenic and nervous ingrowth post-implantation, though further research to improve these parameters has been limited. Inclusion of neural cells has also shown to improve myoblast maturation and development of neuromuscular junctions, bringing us one step closer to functional, implantable skeletal muscle constructs. Given the current state of skeletal muscle 3D bioprinting, the most pressing future avenues of research include furthering our understanding of the physical and biochemical mechanisms of myotube development and expanding our control over macroscopic and microscopic construct structures. Further to this, current investigation needs to be expanded from immunocompromised rodent and murine myoblast models to more clinically applicable human cell lines as we move closer to viable therapeutic implementation.