We are reporting here a new technology for the straightforward production of integrated microarrays. The approach is based on the use of adhesive supports enabling (i) the immobilization of biomolecules as microarrays (up to 2500 spots per cm(2)) and (ii) the easy assembly of these microarrays with complex 3D structures such as 96-well bottomless microplates or polymer and glass microfluidic ne...

Catching the Wave, Joseph Bower and Clayton Christensen observe that, for a technology to be disruptive, it must climb a steep performance trajectory for attributes already valued by customers (1). The disruptive technology, in a short period of time, outperforms its predecessors – enabling profound advancements in science and industry. The term disruptive may well describe integrated fluidic c...

We have standardized a new chemotaxis chamber that uses fluorescence as the cellular marker for the measurement of leukocyte migration in vitro in disposable 96-well microplates. This new fluorescence-based assay is a robust assay because filter pore size, cell density, filter composition, and filter thickness do not affect PMN migration towards interleukin-8 or the complement fragment, C5a. Wh...

Effects of plant litter type (larch needle-leaves, mixed broad-leaves, and sasa green leaves) and nutrient addition (nitrogen and phosphorus) on bacterial community-level physiological profiles (CLPPs) of a forest soil were examined using BIOLOG EcoPlates(TM). Both the litter and nutrient additions significantly increased color development in most of the wells in the BIOLOG microplates, with th...

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are a new class of fluorophores with unique physical and chemical properties, which allow to appreciably expand the possibilities for the current methods of fluorescent imaging and optical diagnostics. Here we discuss the prospects of QD application for molecular diagnostics of tumors ranging from cancer-specific marker detection on microplates to non-invasive t...

Bacteria harbored in/on the hyphae of the dark septate endophyte, Veronaeopsis simplex Y34, were identified as a single Rhizobium species by molecular analyses of bacterial 16S rRNA genes, and were successfully isolated from the endophyte. The Rhizobium-cured fungus was prepared thoroughly by an antibiotic treatment, thereby allowing an examination of their effects on organic substrate utilizat...

In this paper we presents a project that is developing a mobile service robot to assist users in biological and pharmaceutical laboratories by executing routine jobs such as filling and transporting microplates. A preliminary overview of the design of the mobile platform with a robotic arm is provided. One focus of the project is aspects of safety since the robot and humans will share a common ...

The oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) was adapted to the genotyping of the N-arylamine-acetyltransferase (NAT2) gene. This assay allows the use of 96-well microplates and robotic workstations for high sample throughput. We found this assay to be accurate, efficient and reliable. Another advantage for epidemiological studies where the DNA supply is limited is the small amount of genomic DNA r...