NEXTGENmOCp: Next generation of a microfluidic Organ-on-a-Chip platform (mOCp) to assess and diagnosis therapeutic effects of innovative nanomedicines

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Publications

Experimental Investigation of Green Nanofluids: Assessment of Wettability, Viscosity and Thermal Conductivity

Publication . Nobrega, Glauco; Cardoso, Beatriz D.; Barbosa, Filipe; Pinho, Diana; Abreu, Cristiano; Souza, Reinaldo Rodrigues de; Moita, Ana S.; Ribeiro, J.E.; Lima, Rui A.

Metallic nanoparticles are a type of nanomaterial synthesized from metallic precursors. Due to their unique physiochemical, electrical, and optical properties, metallic nanoparticles are widely studied and applied in various areas such as medicine, electronics, and heat transfer systems. However, conventional synthesis methods to produce metallic nanoparticles face challenges such as instability and environmental concerns, prompting the exploration of greener synthesis methods. Green synthesis uses natural resources like plants and algae as reducing agents, offering a more environmentally friendly approach for the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. These green-synthesized metallic nanoparticles can enhance heat transfer by becoming part of nanofluids (NFs), which are colloidal mixtures of NPs in a fluid base. NFs, employed for heat transfer. As a result, it is essential to characterize the NFs regarding wettability, viscosity, and thermal conductivity. The results of the spectrophotometer confirmed the green synthesis of NPs, and it was observed that the increase in NP concentration impacted the contact angle, improving the ability to wet. The thermal conductivity is also modified, with an improvement of 11.3% compared to distilled water, without a significant increase in fluid viscosity.

2024Conference paper

Restricted access

Advances in Microfluidic Systems and Numerical Modeling in Biomedical Applications: A Review

Publication . Ferreira, Mariana; Carvalho, Violeta Meneses; Ribeiro, J.E.; Lima, Rui A.; Teixeira, Senhorinha F.C.F.; Pinho, Diana

The evolution in the biomedical engineering field boosts innovative technologies, with microfluidic systems standing out as transformative tools in disease diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring. Numerical simulation has emerged as a tool of increasing importance for better understanding and predicting fluid-flow behavior in microscale devices. This review explores fabrication techniques and common materials of microfluidic devices, focusing on soft lithography and additive manufacturing. Microfluidic systems applications, including nucleic acid amplification and protein synthesis, as well as point-of-care diagnostics, DNA analysis, cell cultures, and organ-on-a-chip models (e.g., lung-, brain-, liver-, and tumor-on-a-chip), are discussed. Recent studies have applied computational tools such as ANSYS Fluent 2024 software to numerically simulate the flow behavior. Outside of the study cases, this work reports fundamental aspects of microfluidic simulations, including fluid flow, mass transport, mixing, and diffusion, and highlights the emergent field of organ-on-a-chip simulations. Additionally, it takes into account the application of geometries to improve the mixing of samples, as well as surface wettability modification. In conclusion, the present review summarizes the most relevant contributions of microfluidic systems and their numerical modeling to biomedical engineering.

2024Journal article

Open access

Note: Cytonuclear patterns of a honey bee population from the Azores show a stable population at the nuclear but not at the mitochondrial DNA level

Publication . Henriques, Dora; Lopes, Ana; Costa, Maíra; Quaresma, Andreia; Doblas-Bajo, Mónica; Pinto, M. Alice

The Azores archipelago has been the stage for multiple introductions of Apis mellifera from varying origins, which have led to widespread admixture and the existence of phenotypically and genotypically heterogeneous populations. This is evident on the São Miguel Island, where the historically introduced black phenotype of A. m. iberiensis (lineage M) co-exists with the contemporaneously introduced yellow phenotype of C-lineage ancestry. Interestingly, the cytonuclear markers used herein revealed that C-lineage ancestry is residual at the nuclear level for both the black (5.82 ± 1.66%) and yellow (5.91 ± 1.85%) phenotypes, although this is more pronounced at the mitochondrial level (27.27% for black and 14.74% for yellow). While the C-lineage contribution has remained stable at the nuclear level for over 20 years, there has been a recent decrease in the proportion of C-derived mitotypes.

2025Journal article

Open access

A curated dataset on the distribution of West Palaearctic freshwater bivalves

Publication . Lopes-Lima, Manuel; Aldridge, David C.; Álvarez, María G.; Araujo, Rafael; Barea-Azcón, José Miguel; Bikashvili, Ani; Bragado, Dolores; Bylyna, Lilia; Carlevaro, Anna; Černecký, Ján; Cherot, Frédéric; Cichy, Anna; Collas, Frank; Csányi, Béla; Douda, Karel; Ercoli, Fabio; Fehér, Zoltán; Ferreira-Rodríguez, Noé; Froufe, Elsa; Geist, Juergen; Gil, Maria G.; Gołdyn, Bartłomiej; Golski, Janusz; Gomes-dos-Santos, André; Gumpinger, Clemens; Halabowski, Dariusz; Harbar, Olexander; Kamocki, Andrzej; Karaouzas, Ioannis; Labecka, Anna Maria; Lajtner, Jasna; Larsen, Bjørn Mejdell; Lavictoire, Louise; Lewin, Iga; Lipinskaya, Tatsiana; Madeira, M. José; Magerøy, Jon H.; Moorkens, Evelyn; Morales, Javier; Motte, Grégory; Mumladze, Levan; Nakamura, Keiko; Ondina, Paz; Österling, Martin; Outeiro, Adolfo; Ożgo, Małgorzata; Patzner, Robert A.; Paunovic, Momir; Pereira, Joana; Petkevičiūtė, Romualda; Prié, Vincent; Reis, Joaquim; Riccardi, Nicoletta; Richling, Ira; Romero, Rafael; Sablon, Rose; Sandaas, Kjell; Severijns, Nathal; Shevchuk, Larysa; Sîrbu, Ioan; Skawina, Aleksandra; Son, Mikhail O.; Sousa, Ronaldo; Spikkeland, Ingvar; Stanevičiūtė, Gražina; Stanicka, Anna; Stöckl, Katharina; Stunżėnas, Virmantas; Taskinen, Jouni; Teixeira, Amilcar; Thielen, Frankie; Timm, Henn; Todorov, Milcho; Tomović, Jelena; Tończyk, Grzegorz; Trichkova, Teodora; Urbanič, Gorazd; Urbańska, Maria; Väinölä, Risto; Varandas, Simone; Vercauteren, Thierry; Vicentini, Heinrich; Zając, Katarzyna; Zając, Tadeusz

Freshwater bivalves (FWB) are attracting scientific and societal attention given their essential ecosystem services, ecological functions, and poor conservation status. Current knowledge of the spatial distribution of West Palearctic FWB is poor preventing the understanding of biogeography and conservation planning. One of the priorities of the pan-European networking project "CONFREMU - Conservation of freshwater mussels: a pan-European approach" funded by the European Union, was to fill the knowledge gap on the distribution of FWB in Europe and adjacent regions. Based on the efforts of this network of scientists, we provide the most complete, taxonomically, and geographically accurate distribution of FWB species for the entire West Palearctic. The dataset contains 270,287 geo-referenced records of 93 native and 8 non-native FWB from 1674 to 2023. The dataset compiles information from private records from 82 specialists and multiple sources (e.g., published articles, grey literature, biodiversity databases, and scientific collections). This dataset, available online, represents an important data source for future studies on the biodiversity, biogeography, and conservation of these important organisms.

2025Journal article

Open access