Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
electrowetting:
he modulation of the wettability of a surface (i.e., the contact angle) by means
of an electric ield.
ELISA:
Abbreviation that stands for Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, a method for mea-
suring the presence of a given biomolecule (the antigen, usually a protein) in a sample;
irst, the sample is adsorbed onto a solid support and an antibody to the antigen is
added to recognize the presence of the antigen; inally, a secondary antibody (which
recognizes the irst antibody) that is linked to an enzyme is added to initiate a report-
ing reaction (usually colorimetric, which provides a quantitative measure of the pres-
ence of the antigen).
elution:
In chemistry, process of extracting one material from another by washing with a solvent.
embryoid bodies:
Cellular aggregates derived from embryonic stem cells; with embryoid bod-
ies, researchers attempt to recreate the series of diferentiation events that occur in
the embryo, although diferentiation occurs in a much more disorganized manner in
embryoid bodies than in the embryo.
EOF:
See
electro-osmotic low.
Escherichia coli
:
A rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of
warm-blooded organisms; it is the most widely studied prokaryotic model organism
for microbiology and genetics research and it is universally used in biotechnology to
produce recombinant proteins.
evaporation pump:
Pump driven by the relative change in size of two droplets as they evaporate
at diferent rates.
explant culture:
Culture of a piece of nondissociated tissue, usually in the form of a slice or a
natural clusters/layer of cells that can be easily excised (e.g., neuronal ganglia, a piece
of skin, or a retina).
extracellular matrix:
A mesh of ibrous proteins and glycosaminoglycans that forms the
extracellular part of animal tissue, providing structural support to animal cells
and a number of other signaling functions. It plays a central role in tissue elastic-
ity, wound healing, tumor development, blood clotting, and inlammation, among
others.
F
fabric microluidics:
A subspecialty of microluidics that designs, builds, and studies the low
properties of microdevices made with fabric.
FET:
See
ield-efect transistor.
ibronectin:
A ~440 kDa glycoprotein that is a major component of the extracellular matrix;
during cell attachment, transmembrane integrin receptors recognize short, speciic
peptide sequences present in ibronectin.
ield-efect transistor:
A device that uses electrical ield applied to a terminal (called the “gate”)
to control the low of charge (usually electrons) between two other terminals (called the
“source” and the “drain”).
ilopodia:
he Latin word used to designate the small “feet-like” protrusions formed by the
membrane of cells during motility. Plural of “ilopodium.”
FISH:
Abbreviation for Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization. FISH is a DNA-labeling technique
that detects and localizes the presence/absence of DNA sequences that have a high
degree of similarity with that of the luorescent probe added to the sample.
low cytometer:
Device for counting cells (or other particles) based on suspending the particles
in a luid stream and “shooting” the particles past a detector at high speed.
luoroalkylsilane:
An organosilane molecule (a molecule containing an alkyl tail and a silane
group) in which some or all of the hydrogens in the alkane chain have been replaced by
luorine atoms, for example, CF
3
-(CF
2
)
5
-Si-(OCH
3
)
3
.
