Biology subjects

Hailstone, R.

Publications and source records attributed to Hailstone, R..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Pneumatic Nano-Sieve for CRISPR-based Detection of Drug-resistant Bacteria

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), presents a significant public health concern. Timely detection of MRSA is crucial to enable prompt medical intervention, limit its spread, and reduce antimicrobial resistance. Here, we introduce a miniaturized nano-sieve device featuring a pneumatically-regulated chamber for highly efficient MRSA purification from human plasma samples. By using packed magnetic beads as a filter and leveraging the deformability of the nano-sieve channel, we achieve an on-chip concentration factor of 15 for MRSA. We integrated this device with recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas detection system, resulting in an on-chip limit of detection (LOD) of approximately 100 CFU/mL. This developed approach provides a rapid, precise, and centrifuge-free solution suitable for point-of-care diagnostics, with the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes in resource-limited medical conditions.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2022

The Effects of CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dots on the Photosynthesis Rate of the Chlorella Vulgaris Beads

Photosynthesizing microalgae produce more than 50% of oxygen in the atmosphere and are crucial for the survival of many living systems such as coral reefs. To address the declining of coral reefs, artificial reefs have been introduced to encapsulate the aglae cells in a polymer matrix but the effects of nanoscale pollutants on these engineered systems have not been fully understood. In this work, quantum dots with a size smaller than 10 nm are being used to elucidate the photosynthesis performance of the sodium alginate beads encapsulated with Chlorella vulgaris (C. vulgaris). The fluorescent quantum dots can move into the alginate matrix and the fluorescence intensity in the algae beads is correlated with the quantum dot concentration. We further show that the photosynthesis of the algae beads are sensitive to the quantum dot concentration and are also time sensitive. In the first 48 min of quantum dot exposure, both carbon dioxide absorption and oxygen production are low, suggesting limited photosynthesis. After the initial incubation, the photosynthesis rate quickly increases even though more inhibition is still observed with higher concentration of the quantum dots.

bioengineering↗