Microfluidic Fabrication of Hydrogel Microparticles Containing Functionalized Viral Nanotemplates

Abstract

We demonstrate rapid microfluidic fabrication of hybrid microparticles composed of functionalized viral nanotemplates directly embedded in polymeric hydrogels. Specifically, genetically modified tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) templates were covalently labeled with fluorescent markers or metalized with palladium (Pd) nanoparticles (Pd-TMV), then suspended in a poly(ethylene glycol)-based solution. Upon formation in a flow-focusing device, droplets were photopolymerized with UV light to form microparticles. Fluorescence and confocal microscopy images of microparticles containing fluorescently labeled TMV show uniform distribution of TMV nanotemplates throughout the microparticles. Catalytic activity, via the dichromate reduction reaction, is also demonstrated with microparticles containing Pd-TMV complexes. Additionally, Janus microparticles were fabricated containing viruses embedded in one side and magnetic nanoparticles in the other, that enabled simple separation from bulk solution. These results represent a facile route to directly harness the advantages of viral nanotemplates into a readily usable and stable 3D assembled format.

Monodisperse polyethylene glycol diacrylate hydrogel microsphere formation by oxygen-controlled photopolymerization in a microfluidic device

“…These unpolymerized films prevent the adhesion of polymerized structures to channel surfaces, allowing them to be harvested as particles. Numerous variations have been based upon this principle, including the fabrication of complex shape microparticles 24,30 , cell encapsulation 24 , and complex particle bar-coding 31,32 . Stop-flow lithography has allowed particles to be produced with arbitrary and precise two-dimensional shapes defined by the photo-mask.…”

Tobacco Mosaic Virus as a New Carrier for Tumor Associated Carbohydrate Antigens

“…Although there are no lysine or cysteine residues exposed on the exterior surface of native TMV (39), X-ray structure of TMV revealed that the N-terminus, the C-terminus, and a loop between amino acid residues 55 and 60 of TMV were surface exposed (45). Through mutagenesis, surface accessible cysteine or lysine residues have been introduced to the N-terminus of TMV coat protein to produce stable virions, which could be subsequently functionalized (39, 44, 46–48). In our study, a cysteine mutant of TMV (TMV1cys) (46, 48), which contains a cysteine residue inserted between Ser 2 and Tyr 3 of the TMV coat protein, was used for the conjugation with the Tn antigen.…”

Ultraviolet-assisted microfluidic generation of ferroelectric composite particles

“…Because of the infusibility of P(VDF-TrFE) in water, the DMF was chosen as the solution, and the UVcured was selected as solidification. 32 Both of the dispersed phases were added to 34% (v/v) poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEG-DA, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, MW $ 575, q ¼ 1.12 g/ml, l ¼ 70 cP) as a photocurable monomer and 6% (v/v) 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropiophenone (Darocur 1173, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, MW ¼ 164.2, q ¼ 1.077 g/ml, l ¼ 25 cP) as a photoinitiator for UV-initiated polymerization. 33 The two dispersed phases were then injected into the microchannels independently using syringe pumps (TS2-60, Longer Precision Pump Corporation, Ltd.) to form parallel laminar flow in the upstream channel ( Fig.…”