Microreactor technology in experimental and modelling study of alcohol oxidation on nanogold

Smart Sensors and Microtechnologies in the Precision Medicine Approach against Lung Cancer

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

The therapeutic interventions against lung cancer are currently based on a fully personalized approach to the disease with considerable improvement of patients' outcome. Alongside continuous scientific progresses and research investments, massive technologic efforts, innovative challenges, and consolidated achievements together with research investments are at the bases of the engineering and manufacturing revolution that allows a significant gain in clinical setting.

AIM AND METHODS

The scope of this review is thus to focus, rather than on the biologic traits, on the analysis of the precision sensors and novel generation materials, as semiconductors, which are below the clinical development of personalized diagnosis and treatment. In this perspective, a careful revision and analysis of the state of the art of the literature and experimental knowledge is presented.

RESULTS

Novel materials are being used in the development of personalized diagnosis and treatment for lung cancer. Among them, semiconductors are used to analyze volatile cancer compounds and allow early disease diagnosis. Moreover, they can be used to generate MEMS which have found an application in advanced imaging techniques as well as in drug delivery devices.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, these issues represent critical issues only partially known and generally underestimated by the clinical community. These novel micro-technology-based biosensing devices, based on the use of molecules at atomic concentrations, are crucial for clinical innovation since they have allowed the recent significant advances in cancer biology deciphering as well as in disease detection and therapy. There is an urgent need to create a stronger dialogue between technologists, basic researchers, and clinicians to address all scientific and manufacturing efforts towards a real improvement in patients' outcome. Here, great attention is focused on their application against lung cancer, from their exploitations in translational research to their application in diagnosis and treatment development, to ensure early diagnosis and better clinical outcomes.

Experimental determination and mathematical modelling of residence time distributions by using pieces of urban art

Residence time distribution (RTD) has a very high impact on the performance of a chemical reactor. The development of new reactor and catalyst structures has increased the importance of deep knowledge in theories of RTDs and good experimental practice in measuring RTDs in real systems. Therefore, RTD studies are included in chemical engineering education all over the world. This work demonstrates how RTDs can be measured by using urban pieces of art. Impulse experiments with an inert tracer (NaCl) were conducted in a marvelous modern artwork, ‘Flow of time’ in Turku/Åbo. The results were successfully interpreted with the classical laminar flow model. The application of the methodology in historical university cities is suggested.