Abstract
Although both microtechnology and nanotechnology deal with small-length scales, their methodologies and even governing physics often differ from one another. Microtechnology was originally derived from top-down approaches for manufacturing of microelectronics, whereas its nanoscale counterpart is closely related to bottom-up synthetic chemistry as well as high-resolution microscopy such as the scanning electron microscope and the scanning tunneling microscope. Nevertheless, they complement each other, offering a valuable set of tools for exploring small yet intriguing worlds, which our bare eyes cannot observe. The combination of micro- and nanoscience and engineering is extremely relevant to biomedical science and applications because key building blocks of the biological systems fall into micro- and nanoscales: from small tissues (>100 µm), to single cells (~10 μm), to organelles (100 nm–1 µm), and to proteins, nucleic acids, and other macromolecules (1–100 nm).
DNA and protein sensors and microarrays, microfluidic circuits for biochemical sample preparation, and drug delivery carriers are some early examples of microtechnology and nanotechnology applied to biomedical targets, here collectively called biomedical micro/nanotechnology. Sophistication and functionality of such devices and tools have improved significantly over the past few decades. Some emerging trends in the field include active, rather than passive, devices that can directly or indirectly manipulate biological objects, high-throughput systems, integration of multiple micro and nano components into automated systems, and applications for stem cells and tissue engineering. Such continued progress will lead to improvement over existing experimental techniques and medical procedures with enhanced accuracy and efficacy at lower costs.
In this JALA special issue on Advancements in Biomedical Micro/Nano Tools and Technology, we are excited to introduce an excellent collection of articles that contribute to the development of this field. Because of an overwhelming number of impressive articles, we present them in two consecutive issues (this December 2013 issue and the February 2014 issue). A total of 21 articles are grouped based on their focus. In this first/December issue (volume 18, issue 6), articles present micro/nano platforms and core tools to investigate mammalian cell cultures. Opened by an extensive review article by Young 1 on microfluidic platforms for studying angiogenesis, a total of 10 articles cover reviews of the latest microscale tools and technologies for in vitro cell culture and analysis2–6 and original research on development of new automated cell culture platforms and cell patterning and assembly techniques.7–10
In the February 2014 issue (volume 19, issue 1), we will publish an exciting collection of articles, particularly in tools and technology associated with measurement, analyses, and delivery. Two comprehensive reviews, one by Meacham et al. and the other by Pereira et al., on delivery technology at different length scales, will open this issue.11,12 We will also showcase original research on pathogen detection methods,13,14 intracellular delivery, 15 electrical impedance characterization of porated cells, 16 isolation and sorting methods based on multiple external force interactions,17,18 and development and characterization of new measurement materials and methods.19–21
We hope you enjoy the work of our colleagues in these two special issues. We sincerely thank them for their willingness to share their achievements with us all, and we look forward to reading more from them in coming years.