Gold nanostars, functionalized with thiolated DNA hairpins bearing a Raman-active fluorescent dye at the 3′ terminus, were engineered to identify and quantify RNA mutations in the influenza A virus (IAV) genome employing surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). The DNA hairpin structure was designed to selectively extend/fold in the absence/presence of the viral RNA targets, resulting in the fluorophore being brought away from or close to the gold nanostar surface, leading to an "OFF-ON" switching of the SERS signal. Validation of the switchable SERS nanostar probes was first carried out in buffer, showing that the detection is sequencespecific and that the high sensitivity provided by these SERS probes allows target detection at the single particle level. We also demonstrate that the degree of signal recovery can be closely correlated with the number of genetic mutations. Further experiments carried out with HeLa cell lysate spiked with RNA oligonucleotides demonstrate that the functionality of these nanoprobes were not detrimentally affected by the complex matrix. As a proof of concept, we also tested these nanoparticle probes in vitro by specifically targeting the hemagglutinin (HA) segment in live HeLa cells transfected with plasmids coding for either HA or two other IAV segments, PB1 and PB2, as negative controls. The intracellular SERS response in individual transfected HeLa cells demonstrates high sequenceselectivity of the probes for the HA segment, suggesting the applicability of these probes for multiplexed detection and quantification of viral RNAs in individual cells with an approach that can account for the viral population diversity. This also represents the first time that molecular beacon-based SERS probes have been employed to detect viral RNA target in intact individual cells.

Intradermal (ID) injection is a technique widely used in laboratorial and clinical applications. The boundary of the dome-like bleb formed during injection is assumed to represent the lateral extent of the injected material. This work systematically characterizes cargo molecule distribution (puddle) as a function of injection volume and molecular/particle size in rat skin post ID injection. In general, results indicate that the puddle forms a subdomain laterally contained within the bleb, with an area inversely correlating to the molecular size of the injected material. For 50 μL and 100 µL injections, the average area of the bleb was 40.97 ± 6.30 mm2 and 55.64 ± 8.20 mm2, respectively, regardless of the molecular/particle size. On the other hand, the area of the puddle was dependent on the molecular size and ranged between 45.38 ± 8.29 mm2 and 6.14 ± 4.50 mm2 for 50 µL injections, and 66.64 ± 11.22 mm2 and 11.50 ± 9.67 mm2 for 100 µL injections. The lateral distribution appears to have no time-dependency up to 10 min post injection. The trend in the depth of cargo penetration is also similar, with smaller particles extending deeper into the dermis and subcutaneous fat layers. Because the area of puddle can be significantly less than that of the bleb, establishing base characterization is essential to understand cellular interactions with the injected biological substances.

Electrospray deposition (ESD) is a promising technique for depositing micro-/nano-scale droplets and particles with high quality and repeatability. It is particularly attractive for surface coating of costly and delicate biomaterials and bioactive compounds. While high efficiency of ESD has only been successfully demonstrated for spraying surfaces larger than the spray plume, this work extends its utility to smaller surfaces. It is shown that by architecting the local “charge landscape”, ESD coatings of surfaces smaller than plume size can be achieved. Efficiency approaching 100% is demonstrated with multiple model materials, including biocompatible polymers, proteins, and bioactive small molecules, on both flat and microneedle array targets. UV-visible spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography measurements validate the high efficiency and quality of the sprayed material. Here, we show how this process is an efficient and more competitive alternative to other conformal coating mechanisms, such as dip coating or inkjet printing, for micro-engineered applications.

Electrospray deposition (ESD) uses strong electric fields to produce generations of monodisperse droplets from solutions and dispersions that are driven toward grounded substrates. When soft materials are delivered, the behavior of the growing film depends on the film’s ability to dissipate charge, which is strongly tied to its mobility for dielectric materials. Accordingly, there exist three regimes of electrospray: electrowetting, charged melt, and self-limiting. In the self-limiting regime, it has been recently shown that the targeted nature of these sprays allows for corona-free 3D coating. While ESD patterning on the micron-scale has been studied for decades, most typically through the use of insulating masks, there has been no comparative study of this phenomenon across spray regimes. Here, we used test-patterns composed of gratings that range in both feature size (30–240 μm) and spacing (⅓x–9x) to compare materials across regimes. The sprayed patterns were scanned using a profilometer, and the density, average height, and specificity were extracted. From these results, it was demonstrated that material deposited in the self-limiting regime showed the highest uniformity and specificity on small features as compared to electrowetting and charged melt sprays. Self-limiting electrospray deposition is, therefore, the best suited for modification of prefabricated electrode patterns.

Electrospray deposition (ESD) is a promising technique for depositing micro- and nano-scale droplets and particles with high quality and uniformity. It is a particularly attractive solution for surface coating of costly and delicate biomaterials and bioactive compounds. While high efficiency of ESD has only been successfully demonstrated for spraying surfaces larger than the spray plume, this work extends its utility to smaller surfaces. It is shown that by architecting the local “charge landscape”, ESD coatings of surfaces smaller than plume size can be achieved. Efficiency approaching 100% is demonstrated with multiple model materials, including biocompatible polymers, proteins, and bioactive small molecules, on both flat and microneedle array targets. UV-visible spectroscopy and HPLC measurements validate the high efficiency and quality of the sprayed material. This protocol for ESD can be considered an efficient and more competitive alternative to other conformal coating mechanisms, such as dip coating or inkjet printing, for micro-engineered applications.