Existing culture systems have a limited ability to reproduce the complicated and dynamic microenvironment of a functioning organ. To solve the issues of conventional culture techniques, multidisciplinary researchers, involving medical doctors, stem cell and developmental biology experts, engineers and physical scientists, have emerged to innovate methods and devices. A microfluidic organ-on-a-chip (μOOC) is a cell culture device, based on microfluidic technology, which contains continuously perfused chambers with cells to simulate organ-level physiology/pathology. The μOOC is not to build a whole living organ, but rather to synthesize minimal functional units that recapitulate organ-/tissue-level functions. The μOOC can be applied to study not only the convention stimulation on cells by molecular/drugs, but also physical forces (fluid shear stress, cyclic strain and mechanical compression), organ-specific cell-cell intercommunication, and organ-organ coupling responses. There is an emerging need for innovative approaches for the production, control, analysis, and utilization of the μOOC, and even the multiple interconnected μOOC (Human-on-a-Chip). Although the μOOC has attracted much attention and is continuous being studied, there are still many difficult problems to be solved. Some of the most mentioned challenges include microenvironmental (biochemical, biophysical, biomechanical, nutrient, etc.) control, modeling tissue–tissue and multiorgan interactions, and reducing variability (automated control, high-throughput manipulation/analysis, integration of biosensing and etc.).

Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology has evolved to become an established go-to open access publishing option for multidisciplinary bioengineering and biotechnology research and in the process has grown considerably over the last few years achieving our first Journal Impact Factor 2018 in 2019. Here we are pleased to introduce this special eBook entitled ‘Highlights from Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology in 2020’ edited by our 10 Specialty Chief Editors of Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology aiming to support Frontiers’ strong community by recognizing highly deserving authors. The work presented here highlights the broad diversity of exciting research performed across the journal and aims to put a spotlight on few areas of interest within each section. This collection showcases one or two exceptional articles published in 2020 per section of the journal. Each article has been specially handpicked by each of our 10 Specialty Chief Editors who have written a short paragraph to explain their selection and why this article is a particularly important and exciting addition to their respective fields. Our eBook thus spans Biomaterials, Biomechanics, Bionics and Biomimetics, Bioprocess Engineering, Biosafety and Biosecurity, Industrial Biotechnology, Nanobiotechnology, Preclinical Cell and Gene Therapy, Synthetic Biology and Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. All research presented here displays advances in the field of Bioengineering and Biotechnology. We hope you enjoy our selection of key articles; please ensure you are signed into your Frontiers Loop profile to download the free eBook. We also thank all authors, editors and reviewers of Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology for their contributions to our journal and look forward to another exciting year in 2021. Dr. Ranieri Cancedda (Field Chief Editor)

This book highlights the application of microfluidics in cell biology research, chemical biology, and drug discovery. It covers the recent breakthroughs and prospects of organ-on-a-chip, human-on-a-chip, multi-organ-on-a-chip for personalized medicine. The book presents the preclinical studies of organs-on-a-chip, concepts of multiple vascularized organ-on-chips, application of organ-on-a-chip in blood-brain barrier model, culture and co-culture of cells on multi-organ-on-chip and parameter measurements in microfluidic devices. It underscores the advantage of microfluidic devices for developing efficient drug carrier particles, cell-free protein synthesis systems, and rapid techniques for direct drug screening. Further, it entails human-on-a-chip for measuring the systemic response as well as immediate effects of an organ reaction on other organs. In summary, this book reviews the development of a microfluidic-based organ-on-a-chip device for the preclinical evaluation, ADME studies of drugs, chemicals, and medical devices. This book is a valuable source for pharma companies, product developers, students, researchers, academicians, and practitioners.

Ch. 1. A microscale bioinspired cochlear-like sensor / Robert D. White, Robert Littrell, and Karl Grosh -- ch. 2. Systematic evaluation of the efficiencies of proteins and chemicals in pharmaceutical applications / Morgan Hamon and Jong Wook Hong -- ch. 3. Microfluidic glucose sensors / Jithesh V. Veetil [und weitere] -- ch. 4. Applications of microfabrication and microfluidic techniques in mesenchymal stem cell research / Abhijit Majumder [und weitere] -- ch. 5. Patient-specific modeling of low-density lipoprotein transport in coronary arteries / Ufuk Olgac -- ch. 6. Point-of-care microdevices for global health diagnostics of infectious diseases / Sau Yin Chin [und weitere] -- ch. 7. Integrated microfluidic sample preparation for chip-based molecular diagnostics / Jane Y. Zhang [und weitere] -- ch. 8. Microfluidic devices for cellular proteomic studies / Yihong Zhan and Chang Lu -- ch. 9. Microfluidics for neuroscience: novel tools and future implications / Vivian M. Hernandez and P. Hande Ozdinler -- ch. 10. Microfluidics: on-chip platforms as in vitro disease models / Shan Gao, Erkin Seker, and Martin L. Yarmush -- ch. 11. Application of microfluidics in stem cell and tissue engineering / Sasha H. Bakhru, Christopher Highley, and Stefan Zappe -- ch. 12. Microfluidic "on-the-fly" fabrication of microstructures for biomedical applications / Edward Kang, Sau Fung Wong, and Sang-Hoon Lee -- ch. 13. Microfluidics as a promising tool toward distributed viral detection / Elodie Sollier and Dino Di Carlo -- ch. 14. Electrophoresis and dielectrophoresis for lab-on-a-chip (LOC) analyses / Yagmur Demircan, Gurkan Yilmaz, and Haluk Kulah -- ch. 15. Ultrasonic embossing of carbon nanotubes for the fabrication of polymer microfluidic chips for DNA sample purification / Puttachat Khuntontong, Min Gong, and Zhiping Wang -- ch. 16. Ferrofluidics / A. Rezzan Kose and Hur Koser -- ch. 17. Antibody-based blood bioparticle capture and separation using microfluidics for global health / ZhengYuan Luo [und weitere] -- ch. 18. Applications of quantum dots for fluorescence imaging in biomedical research / ShuQi Wang [und weitere]

Angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels from the existing vasculature, is essential for physiological growth and over 18,000 research articles have been published describing the role of angiogenesis in over 70 different diseases, including cancer, diabetic retinopathy, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. One of the most important technical challenges in such studies has been finding suitable methods for assessing the effects of regulators of eh angiogenic response. While increasing numbers of angiogenesis assays are being described both in vitro and in vivo, it is often still necessary to use a combination of assays to identify the cellular and molecular events in angiogenesis and the full range of effects of a given test protein. Although the endothelial cell - its migration, proliferation, differentiation and structural rearrangement - is central to the angiogenic process, it is not the only cell type involved. the supporting cells, the extracellular matrix and the circulating blood with its cellular and humoral components also contribute. In this book, experts in the use of a diverse range of assays outline key components of these and give a critical appraisal of their strengths and weaknesses. Examples include assays for the proliferation, migration and differentiation of endothelial cells in vitro, vessel outgrowth from organ cultures, assessment of endothelial and mural cell interactions, and such in vivo assays as the chick chorioallantoic membrane, zebrafish, corneal, chamber and tumour angiogenesis models. These are followed by a critical analysis of the biological end-points currently being used in clinical trials to assess the clinical efficacy of anti-angiogenic drugs, which leads into a discussion of the direction future studies should take. This valuable book is of interest to research scientists currently working on angiogenesis in both the academic community and in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Relevant disciplines include cell and molecular biology, oncology, cardiovascular research, biotechnology, pharmacology, pathology and physiology.

The placenta is fascinating and complex. Basically foreign to the maternal body, it can be thought of as an organ transplanted onto the mother's host tissue. As such it embodies all the principles of tissue acceptance and rejection. Many of the risks of pregnancy and labor have now been eliminated and the placenta is likely to be at the root of many of the dangers to the unborn child that remain. A breakdown of the relationship between the placenta and the maternal tissue may turn out to be the cause of the majority of early lost pregnancies.

This book provides an overview of nanoparticle production methods, scale-up issues drawing attention to industrial applicability, and addresses their successful applications for commercial use. There is a need for a reference book which will address various aspects of recent progress in the methods of development of nanoparticles with a focus on polymeric and lipid nanoparticles, their scale-up techniques, and challenges in their commercialization. There is no consolidated reference book that discusses the emerging technologies for nanoparticle manufacturing. This book focuses on the following major aspects of emerging technologies for nano particle manufacturing. I. Introduction and Biomedical Applications of Nanoparticles II. Polymeric Nanoparticles III. Lipid Nanoparticles IV. Metallic Nanoparticles V. Quality Control for Nanoparticles VI. Challenges in Scale-Up Production of Nanoparticles VII. Injectable Nanosystems VIII. Future Directions and Challenges Leading scientists are selected as chapter authors who have contributed significantly in this field and they focus more on emerging technologies for nanoparticle manufacturing, future directions, and challenges.

A comprehensive overview of the latest achievements, trends, and the current state of the art of this important and rapidly expanding field. Clearly and logically structured, the first part of the book explores the fundamentals of tissue engineering, providing a separate chapter on each of the basic topics, including biomaterials stem cells, biosensors and bioreactors. The second part then follows a more applied approach, discussing various applications of tissue engineering, such as the replacement or repairing of skins, cartilages, livers and blood vessels, to trachea, lungs and cardiac tissues, to musculoskeletal tissue engineering used for bones and ligaments as well as pancreas, kidney and neural tissue engineering for the brain. The book concludes with a look at future technological advances. An invaluable reading for entrants to the field in biomedical engineering as well as expert researchers and developers in industry.

M. C. Roco and W.S. Bainbridge In the early decades of the 21st century, concentrated efforts can unify science based on the unity of nature, thereby advancing the combination of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, and new technologies based in cognitive science. With proper attention to ethical issues and societal needs, converging in human abilities, societal technologies could achieve a tremendous improvement outcomes, the nation's productivity, and the quality of life. This is a broad, cross cutting, emerging and timely opportunity of interest to individuals, society and humanity in the long term. The phrase "convergent technologies" refers to the synergistic combination of four major "NBIC" (nano-bio-info-cogno) provinces of science and technology, each of which is currently progressing at a rapid rate: (a) nanoscience and nanotechnology; (b) biotechnology and biomedicine, including genetic engineering; (c) information technology, including advanced computing and communications; (d) cognitive science, including cognitive neuroscience. Timely and Broad Opportunity. Convergence of diverse technologies is based on material unity at the nanoscale and on technology integration from that scale.

The human body contains many specialized tissues that are capable of fulfilling an incredible variety of functions necessary for our survival. This volume in the Human Cell Culture Series focuses on mesenchymal tissues and cells. The in vitro study of mesenchymal cells is perhaps the oldest form of human cell culture, beginning with the culturing of fibroblasts. Fibroblasts have long been generically described in the literature, arising from many tissue types upon in vitro cell culture. However, recent studies, many enabled by new molecular biology techniques, have shown considerable diversity in fibroblast type and function, as described within this volume. Mesenchymal tissue types that are described within include bone, cartilage, tendons and ligaments, muscle, adipose tissue, and skin (dermis). The proper function of these tissues is predominantly dependent upon the proper proliferation, differentiation, and function of the mesenchymal cells which make up the tissue. Recent advancements in primary human mesenchymal cell culture have led to remarkable progress in the study of these tissues. Landmark experiments have now demonstrated a stem cell basis for many of these tissues, and, furthermore, significant plasticity and inter-conversion of stem cells between these tissues, resulting in a great deal of contemporary excitement and controversy. Newly-developed mesenchymal cell culture techniques have even lead to novel clinical practices for the treatment of disease.