Nanoparticles have been widely implemented for healthcare and nanoscience industrial applications.

Real-time nanoparticle separation in deterministic lateral displacement can be achieved by manipulating solution iconicity.

Disease diagnostics requires detection and quantification of nano-sized bioparticles including DNA, proteins, viruses, and exosomes. Here, a fluorescent label-free method for sensitive detection of bioparticles is explored using a pillar array with micrometer-sized features in a deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) device. The method relies on measuring changes in size and/or electrostatic charges of 1 µm polymer beads due to the capture of target bioparticles on the surface. These changes can be sensitively detected through the lateral displacement of the beads in the DLD array, wherein the lateral shifts in the output translates to a quantitative measurement of bioparticles bound to the bead. The detection of albumin protein and nano-sized polymer vesicles with a concentration as low as 10 ng mL⁻¹ (150 pM) and 3.75 μg mL⁻¹, respectively, is demonstrated. This label-free method holds potential for point-of-care diagnostics, as it is low-cost, fast, sensitive, and only requires a standard laboratory microscope for detection.

The poor solubility of many newly discovered drugs has resulted in numerous challenges for the time-controlled release of therapeutics. In this study, an advanced drug delivery platform to encapsulate and deliver hydrophobic drugs, consisting of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles incorporated within poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) microgels, was developed. PLGA nanoparticles were used as the hydrophobic drug carrier, while the PEG matrix functioned to slow down the drug release. Encapsulation of the hydrophobic agents was characterized by fluorescence detection of the hydrophobic dye Nile Red within the microgels. In addition, the microcomposites prepared via the droplet-based microfluidic technology showed size tunability and a monodisperse size distribution, along with improved release kinetics of the loaded cargo compared with bare PLGA nanoparticles. This composite system has potential as a universal delivery platform for a variety of hydrophobic molecules.

MSCs are enriched twice more efficiently with 10-fold shorten processing time from undiluted human bone marrow aspirate.