Giorgio Gianini Morbioli

Tufts University | Tufts · Department of Chemistry

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infects human cells via the ACE2 receptor. Structural evidence suggests that ACE2 may not just serve as an attachment factor but also conformationally activate the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for membrane fusion. Here, we test that hypothesis directly, using DNA-lipid tethering as a synthetic attachment factor in place of AC...

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infects human cells via the ACE-2 receptor. Circumstantial evidence suggests that ACE-2 may not just serve as an attachment factor but also help activate the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for membrane fusion. Here, we test that hypothesis directly, using DNA-lipid tethering as a synthetic attachment factor in the place of ACE-...

Plasma separation cards represent a viable approach for expanding testing capabilities away from clinical settings by generating cell-free plasma with minimal user intervention. These devices typically comprise a basic structure of the plasma separation membrane, unconstrained porous collection pad, and utilize either (i) lateral or (ii) vertical f...

Plasma separation cards represent a viable approach for expanding testing capabilities away from clinical settings by generating cell-free plasma with minimal user intervention. These devices typically comprise a basic structure of plasma separation membrane (PSM), unconstrained porous collection pad, and utilize either (i) lateral or (ii) vertical...

In situ analyses are essential to ascertain potential past or present habitability in celestial bodies. One technique that provides the sensitivity and miniaturization needed to successfully detect trace organics in the outer Solar System is laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection, which, when coupled with microfluidic systems, provides a powerf...

The development of functional microfluidic devices requires multiple iterations of the design, fabrication and testing of an initial concept. Much attention in the literature has been given to improving the design of microdevices, and several rapid-prototyping techniques have been created to fabricate microfluidic structures in the past decade. How...

Micro total analytical systems (μTAS) are attractive to multiple fields that include chemistry, medicine and engineering due to their portability, low power usage, potential for automation, and low sample and reagent consumption, which in turn results in low waste generation. The development of fully-functional μTAS is an iterative process, based o...

Micro total analysis systems (µTAS) are highly attractive across numerous fields including science, engineering and medicine due to their portability, low power use and efficient sample and reagent consumption. Development of fully-functional microfluidic devices is based on iterative design and testing of multiple prototype microdevices, and the u...

Elastomeric membrane-based microvalves, especially pneumatically-actuated valves, are a core technology responsible for the proliferation of micro total analysis systems (μTAS) due to enabling the precise metering and mixing required by lab-on-a-chip applications. Hydraulic actuation is a promising actuation strategy, analogous to pneumatic actuati...

Microfluidic technologies enable precise fluidic manipulation at the microscale, with applications ranging from inexpensive medical diagnostics to automaton devices for extraterrestrial in situ analysis. However, development of microfluidic tools typically requires high-maintenance infrastructure and resource-intensive development processes, limiti...

Paper-based devices are a portable and low-cost technology alternative among conventional analytical tools for point-of-care testing that have been growing in popularity due to their versatility and ease of use. Since their introduction in 2007, different methods to fabricate such devices have been proposed in literature, including photolithography...

Wax printing is a print-and-peel (PAP) rapid prototyping technique that enables rapid creation of master molds for miniaturized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) systems, circumventing the need for specialized microfabrication personnel and facilities. We have demonstrated wax printed molds with microwave thermal processing to cure PDMS (25 min) and ther...

Paper-based devices present low-cost and are versatile, making them very attractive for clinical analysis. To manufacture those devices wax patterns are printed on paper surface and upon heating the wax permeates through the entire thickness of the paper, creating hydrophobic barriers that delimit test areas. Antibodies produced in rabbits against...

Paper-based devices present low-cost and are versatile, making them very attractive for clinical analysis. To manufacture those devices wax patterns are printed on paper surface and upon heating the wax permeates through the entire thickness of the paper, creating hydrophobic barriers that delimit test areas. Antibodies produced in rabbits against...

Congenital anomalies are already the second cause of infant mortality in Brazil, as in many other middle income countries in Latin America. Birth defects are a result of both genetic and environmental factors, but more frequently of multifactorial etiology. Here we address the environmental causes of birth defects – teratogens - as a public health...

Paper-based devices are a portable, user-friendly and affordable technology that is one of the best analytical tools for inexpensive diagnostic devices. Three-dimensional microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (3D-μPADs) are an evolution of single layer devices and they permit effective sample dispersion, individual layer treatment, and multip...

From: Improving sample distribution homogeneity in Three-Dimensional Microfluidic Paper-Based Analytical Devices (3D-μPAD) by rational device design DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.6b04953

Paper-based devices are a leading alternative among the main analytical tools for point-of-care testing, due to their portability, low-cost, and ease-of-use. Colorimetric readouts are the most common method of detection in these microfluidic devices, enabling qualitative, semi-quantitative and fully quantitative analysis of multiple analytes. There...

Paper-based devices are an excellent match for low-cost Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) tools. Their user-friendliness, portability, and short time of analysis, coupled with easiness for local manufacture make these devices the best option for inexpensive diagnostic testing tools. However, despite all their positive features, these low-cost diagnostic...

The Macro in Microsoft Excel® (m-Accuracy) shows enormous utility to calculate the accuracy of any medical, chemical, and environmental tests, even if the results show different orders of magnitude, since this tool analyzes the similarity between the two tests. The analysis is performed by a single command (Ctrl + Shift + T). The functioning of m-A...

Paper-based assays are an attractive low-cost option for clinical chemistry testing, due to characteristics such as short time of analysis, low consumption of samples and reagents, and high portability of assays. However, little attention has been given to the evaluation of the performance of these simple tests, which should include the use of a st...

- Number of deaths of infant hospitalized involving congenital anomalies from 2008 to 2013.

- Cases involving congenital anomalies from 2008 to 2013.

- Infant hospitalizations involving congenital anomalies from 2008 to 2013.

- Main teratogen categories and respective embryo-fetal effects during pregnancy.

- Fetal deaths involving congenital anomalies from 2008 to 2013.

- Average cost in US dollars of hospitalizations involving congenital anomalies from 2008 to 2013

Sarcosine (N-methyl-glycine) is an amino acid that arose as a candidate to prostate cancer biomarker [1] that can be excreted in urine. Conventional analytical techniques such as gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) [2], liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) [3] or UV-vis detection (HPLC-UV) and capillary e...

Paper-based devices are an essential option for Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) tools. They are portable, user-friendly, affordable and require little to no training, and are therefore one of the best analytical tools for inexpensive diagnostic tests. Three-dimensional microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (3D-μPAD) are an evolution of single la...

Sarcosine is an amino acid that has been listed as a new indicator for prostate cancer. We present here two low-cost tools with potential to detect this biomarker excreted in urine. The first one is a paper-based microfluidic device manufactured by wax printing technology in which an enzymatic assay is performed. The enzymatic assay comprises two c...

We present here a critical review covering conventional analytical tools of recombinant drug analysis and discuss their evolution towards miniaturized systems foreseeing a possible unique recombinant drug-on-a-chip device. Recombinant protein drugs and/or pro-drug analysis require sensitive and reproducible analytical techniques for quality control...

Point-of-Care testing (POCT) is an important tool to prevent and identify diseases in regions near of patient. The advantages of these diagnostics tests, when compared with the traditional methods are (i) faster results; (ii) no requirement of specialist to perform the assay and (iii) low-cost of disposable devices. All these characteristics are ne...