Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

G Stemme

Publications and source records attributed to G Stemme.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Micromachined filter-chamber array with passive valves for biochemical assays on beads.

The filter-chamber array presented here enables a real-time parallel analysis of three different samples on beads in a volume of 3 nL, on a 1 cm2 chip. The filter-chamber array is a system containing three filter-chambers, three passive valves at the inlet channels and a common outlet. The design enables parallel sample handling and time-controlled analysis. The device is microfabricated in silicon and sealed with a Pyrex lid to enable real-time analysis. Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis by using pyrosequencing has successfully been performed in single filter-chamber devices. The passive valves consist of plasma-deposited octafluorocyclobutane and show a much higher resistance towards water and surface-active solutions than previous hydrophobic patches. The device is not sensitive to gas bubbles, clogging is rare and reversible, and the filter-chamber array is reusable. More complex (bio)chemical reactions on beads can be performed in the devices with passive valves than in the devices without valves.

Biochemistry↗

Patterned self-assembled beads in silicon channels.

A novel technique enabling selective bead trapping in microfluidic devices without the use of physical barriers is presented in this paper. It is a fast, convenient and simple method, involving microcontact printing and self-assembly, that can be applied to silicon, quartz or plastic substrates. In the first step, channels are etched in the substrate. The surface chemistry of the internal walls of the channels is then modified by microcontact printing. The chip is submerged in a bead slurry where beads self-assemble based on surface chemistry and immobilize on the internal walls of the channels. Silicon channels (100 microm wide and 50 microm deep) have been covered with monolayers of streptavidin-, amino- and hydroxy-functionalized microspheres and resulted in good surface coverage of beads on the channel walls. A high-resolution pattern of lines of self-assembled streptavidin beads, as narrow as 5 microm, has also been generated on the bottom of a 500 microm wide and 50 microm deep channel. Flow tests were performed in sealed channels with the different immobilized beads to confirm that the immobilized beads could withstand the forces generated by water flowing in the channels. The presented results indicate that single beads can be precisely positioned within microfluidic devices based on self-assembly which is useful as screening and analysis tools within the field of biochemistry and organic chemistry.

Animals↗

An improved negative staining technique using a thin quartz membrane as sample support.

A negative staining technique is presented based on the use of 40-60 nm quartz membrane supported by a silicon grid. The quartz membrane is fabricated by thermal growth of silicon dioxide on a silicon substrate followed by an anisotropic silicon etching step giving rectangular holes in the silicon substrate. The hydrophilic membrane is shown to be ideally suited for negative staining due to its spreading characteristics, homogeneity, heat resistance and mechanical stability. Micrographs of phage lambda are presented showing the detailed structure of the tail. A simple method of calculating the number of adsorbed particles based on diffusion limited association is also presented.

Microscopy, Electron↗