Star poly(ethelene oxide)s from carbosilane dendrimersComanita, B.; Noren, B.; Roovers, J. Process and Environmental Technology, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0R6 Received July 31, 1998; Revised Manuscript Received December 1, 1998 ABSTRACT: A series of 4-arm, 8-arm, and 16-arm poly(ethylene oxide)s (PEO) have been synthesized from hydroxy functionalized carbosilane dendrimers of generation zero, one, and two, respectively. The PEO arms are grown anionically from the multifunctional cores. The polymers have narrow molecular weight distributions. Analysis of the molecular weight, intrinsic viscosity, and translational diffusion coefficient in methanol confirms the star structure of the polymers. The aqueous solutions of the star PEOs appear normal. Low molecular weight star polymers, however, show abnormally low intrinsic viscosities and are adsorbed on the size exclusion column hydrogel material.

The microfabrication of microfluidic control systems and the development of increasingly sensitive molecular amplificaiton tools has enabled the miniaturization of single cells analytical platforms. Only recently has the throughput of these platforms increased to a level at which populations can be screened at the single cell level. Techniques based upon both active and passive maniuplation are now capable of discriminating between single cell phenotypes for sorting, diagnostic or prognostic applications in a variety of clinical scenarios. The introduction of multiphase microfluidics enables the segmentation of single cells into biochemically discrete picoliter environments. The combination of these techniques are enabling a class of single cell analytical platforms witin great potential for data driven biomedicine, genomics and transcriptomics.

The in situ fabrication of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel microstructures within poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based microfluidic networks is a versatile technique that has enabled unique applications in biosensing, medical diagnostics, and the fundamental life sciences. Hydrogel structures have previously been patterned by the lithographic *

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play a central role in cancer metastasis and represent a rich source of data for cancer prognostics and therapeutic guidance. Reliable CTC recovery from whole blood therefore promises a less invasive and more sensitive approach to cancer diagnosis and progression tracking. CTCs, however, are exceedingly rare in whole blood, making their quantitative recovery challenging. Several techniques capable of isolating these rare cells have been introduced and validated, yet most suffer from low CTC purity or viability, both of which are essential to develop a clinically viable CTC isolation platform. To address these limitations, we introduce a patterned, immunofunctional, photodegradable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel capture surface for the isolation and selective release of rare cell populations. Flat and herringbone capture surfaces were successfully patterned via PDMS micromolding and photopolymerization of photolabile PEG hydrogels. Patterned herringbone surfaces, designed to convectively transport cells to the capture surface, exhibited improved capture density relative to flat surfaces for target cell capture from * To whom correspondence should be addressed. joakey@uwyo.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Appendix A. Supplemental Information Supplementary data can be found in the supplemental information file. Data availabilityThe raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time due to technical or time limitations.

Whether intracellular connections between basal bodies control ciliary behavior in multiciliated cells is investigated. Using a Tetrahymena live cell immobilization technique to quantify ciliary dynamics, it is shown that inter-BB connections are required for effective ciliary waveform and coordinated ciliary beating that promote fluid flow.