Publications

Nazari, H, Asbagh, RA, Abasipanah, P, Nazari, Z & Warkiani, ME 2025, 'Microfluidics in the diagnosis, treatment, and drug delivery of chronic respiratory disorders: Advancements and potential applications' in Technological Advances and Innovations in the Treatment of Chronic Respiratory Disorders, Elsevier, pp. 209-265.
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Afrose, D, Alfonso-Sánchez, S & McClements, L 2025, 'Targeting oxidative stress in preeclampsia', Hypertension in Pregnancy, vol. 44, no. 1.
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Bai, X, Zhang, Y, Zhao, H, Zi, Y, Xu, Z, Huang, A, Cun, Y, Liu, Y, Song, Z, Qiu, J, Liao, J & Yang, Z 2025, 'Flexible X‐Ray Detector for Cumulative Dose Monitoring Through Reversible Photochromism and Luminescence Modulation', Advanced Science, vol. 12, no. 6.
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AbstractThis study presents a multi‐mode X‐ray detection and imaging strategy by integrating photochromism, photoluminescence, and radioluminescence into Tb3+‐doped CaAl2Si2O8. CaAl2Si2O8: Tb3+ exhibits stable radioluminescence, oxygen vacancy‐related photochromism, and photoluminescence modulation, all of which showed a linear relationship with X‐ray exposure. This multi‐mode response enables high‐quality imaging and detection in both bright and dark conditions, facilitating time‐dependent cumulative X‐ray radiation dose assessments. Reversible color and luminescence changes are achieved through cyclic tests involving alternating X‐ray and 473 nm laser irradiation. The PDMS CaAl2Si2O8: Tb3+ ink and flexible film demonstrate high suitability for wearable X‐ray detection devices and imaging of irregular objects, offering an innovative approach to X‐ray detection and imaging.

Baumgart, A, Clarke, RJ, Cranfield, CG, Zerlotti, R & Buoninsegni, FT 2025, 'BPS2025 - Membrane binding of hydrophobic ions: Dipole potential revisited', Biophysical Journal, vol. 124, no. 3, pp. 92a-92a.
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Baumgart, A, Le, DT, Cranfield, CG, Bridge, S, Zerlotti, R, Palchetti, I, Tadini-Buoninsegni, F & Clarke, RJ 2025, 'Membrane Binding of Hydrophobic Ions: Application of New Kinetic Techniques', Langmuir, vol. 41, no. 12, pp. 8081-8091.
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Chhor, M, Barman, S, Heidari, F, Bottomley, AL, Robson, T, McGrath, K & McClements, L 2025, 'FK506 binding protein like, FKBPL, as a novel therapeutic target in 2D and 3D bioprinted, models of cardiac fibrosis', Bioprinting, vol. 47, pp. e00397-e00397.
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Ding, L, Zhong, Z, Chen, C, Liu, B, Chen, Z, Zhang, L, Mao, J, Zhang, M, Su, QP & Cheng, F 2025, 'Advances in multiplexed photoelectrochemical sensors for multiple components', Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 505, pp. 159319-159319.
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Feng, M, Padula, MP, Asaad, SA, Bai, X, Cranfield, C, Town, SEL, Saad, S, Oliver, BG, George, J & Chen, H 2025, 'Prolonged exposure to low-dose traffic-derived PM2.5 causes fatty liver disorder in mice', Journal of Environmental Sciences.
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Li, R, Wang, J, Zhao, X, Liu, Z, Jia, P, Liu, Y, Lin, G, Xu, H & Xiong, J 2025, 'Small-scale magnetic soft robotic catheter for in-situ biomechanical force sensing', Biosensors and Bioelectronics, vol. 270, pp. 116977-116977.
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Liu, X, Shu, Y, Zhu, J, Fang, H, Su, Y, Ma, H, Li, B, Xu, J, Cheng, YY, Pan, B & Song, K 2025, 'A 3D bioprinted potential colorectal tumor model based on decellularized matrix/gelatin methacryloyl/nanoclay/sodium alginate hydrogel', International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, vol. 293, pp. 139346-139346.
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Liu, Y, Huang, Y, Luo, Y, Luo, Y, Jiang, L, Gallego-Ortega, D, Cheng, YY, Gale, PA & Bao, G 2025, 'Lanthanide-doped nanoprobes for microRNA detection', Coordination Chemistry Reviews, vol. 536, pp. 216644-216644.
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Luo, Y, Luo, Y, Liu, Y, Huang, Y, Yu, P, Ma, H, Li, X, Zhang, Z, Zhang, C, Chen, C, Gale, PA & Bao, G 2025, 'A hybrid strategy to enhance small-sized upconversion nanocrystals', Biosensors and Bioelectronics, vol. 271, pp. 117003-117003.
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Pan, X, Jian, Y, An, N, Xie, R-J, Ke, S, Li, Z, Wang, H, Lin, C, Zhuang, Y, Zhou, J, Mei, L & Liao, L 2025, 'Innovations in phosphate phosphors: Bridging structure-property gaps for enhanced luminescence', Coordination Chemistry Reviews, vol. 528, pp. 216407-216407.
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Salomon, R, Razavi Bazaz, S, Mutafopulos, K, Gallego-Ortega, D, Warkiani, M, Weitz, D & Jin, D 2025, 'Challenges in blood fractionation for cancer liquid biopsy: how can microfluidics assist?', Lab on a Chip, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 1097-1127.
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Microfluidic blood fractionation has a critical role in enhancing liquid biopsy. Liquid biopsy allows molecular and phenotypic characteristics of a patient's tumor by detecting evidence of cancerous changes in readily accessible samples like blood.

Song, Y, Zhao, H, Zi, Y, Qiu, J, Song, Z, Bai, X, Liao, J & Yang, Z 2025, 'Correction to “X-ray-Irradiation-Induced Discoloration and Persistent Radioluminescence for Reversible Dual-Mode Imaging and Detection Applications”', ACS Energy Letters, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 68-68.
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Sunstrum, FN, Khan, JU, Li, N-W & Welsh, AW 2025, 'Wearable textile sensors for continuous glucose monitoring', Biosensors and Bioelectronics, vol. 273, pp. 117133-117133.
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Tarsitano, M, Liu Chung Ming, C, Bennar, L, Mahmodi, H, Wyllie, K, Idais, D, Al Shamery, W, Paolino, D, Cox, TR, Kabakova, I, Ralph, P & Gentile, C 2025, 'Chlorella-enriched hydrogels protect against myocardial damage and reactive oxygen species production in an in vitro ischemia/reperfusion model using cardiac spheroids', Biofabrication, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 015006-015006.
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Abstract Microalgae have emerged as promising photosynthetic microorganisms for biofabricating advanced tissue constructs, with improved oxygenation and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. However, their use in the engineering of human tissues has been limited due to their intrinsic growth requirements, which are not compatible with human cells. In this study, we first formulated alginate–gelatin (AlgGel) hydrogels with increasing densities of Chlorella vulgaris. Then, we characterised their mechanical properties and pore size. Finally, we evaluated their effects on cardiac spheroid (CS) pathophysiological response under control and ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) conditions. Our results showed that the addition of Chlorella did not affect AlgGel mechanical properties, while the mean pore size significantly decreased by 35% in the presence of the 107 cells ml−1 microalgae density. Under normoxic conditions, the addition of 107 Chlorella cells ml−1 significantly reduced CS viability starting from 14 d in. No changes in pore size nor CS viability were measured for hydrogels containing 105 and 106 Chlorella cells ml−1. In our I/R model, all Chlorella-enriched hydrogels reduced cardiac cell sensitivity to hypoxic conditions with a corresponding reduction in ROS production, as well as protected against I/R-induced reduction in cell viability. Altogether, our results support a promising use of Chlorella-enriched Alg–Gel hydrogels for cardiovascular tissue engineering.

Tian, J, Song, Y, Hao, X, Wang, X, Shen, Y, Liu, P, Wei, Z, Liao, T, Jiang, L, Guo, J, Xu, B & Sun, Z 2025, 'Greatly Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell and Zn‐Air Battery via Hole Inner Edge Reconstruction of 2D Pd Nanomesh', Advanced Materials, vol. 37, no. 1.
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AbstractPlatinum group metals (PGM) have yet to be the most active catalysts in various sustainable energy reactions. Their high cost, however, has made maximizing the activity and minimizing the dosage become an urgent priority for the practical applications of emerging technologies. Herein, a novel 2D Pd nanomesh structure possessing hole inner reconstructed edges (HIER) with exposed high energy facets and overstretched lattice parameters is fabricated through a facile room‐temperature reduction method at gram‐scale yields. The HIER enhances the catalytic performance of Pd in electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), achieving superior mass activity (MA) of 2.672 A mgPd−1, which is 27.8 fold and 23.6 fold higher, respectively, than those of the commercial Pt/C (0.096 A mgPt−1) and Pd/C (0.113 A mgPd−1) at 0.9 VRHE. Most significantly, in H2‐air anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) and Zn‐air battery (ZAB) applications, this unique Pd catalyst delivers a much‐outperformed peak power density of 0.86 and 0.22 W cm−2, respectively, compared with 0.54 and 0.13 W cm−2 of the commercial Pt/C catalyst, indicating a novel pathway in electrocatalyst designs through HIER engineering.

Trapp, J, Mahmodi, H, Wende, M, McAlary, L, Ooi, L, Li, J, McLaughlin, RA, Herkommer, A, Toulouse, A & Kabakova, I 2025, 'Dual fiber probe with 3D-printed micro-lens for Brillouin microscopy', APL Photonics, vol. 10, no. 4.
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Brillouin spectroscopy is a powerful technique for non-invasive micromechanical analysis of biological materials such as tissues and cells. Conventional bulk-optical Brillouin spectroscopy systems, however, face challenges in translation to endoscopic applications due to strong parasitic background signals using single optical fibers. To overcome this issue, dual fiber approaches have been proposed, but they suffer from poor overlap of excitation and collection beam paths. In this work, we present a dual fiber-integrated probe with a tip diameter below 300 μm. Using tailored freeform 3D-printed micro-optics, we achieve a precise overlap of the foci to map mechanical properties with a resolution below 10 μm in lateral and 45 μm in axial direction. We detail the probe's design, fabrication, and optical simulations and present experimental results demonstrating high-resolution Brillouin measurements from polymer and protein solution samples. Our findings indicate that this dual fiber probe could significantly advance fiber-integrated Brillouin spectroscopy, with promising applications in materials science and biomedical diagnostics.

Vasilescu, SA, Goss, DM, Gurner, KH, Kelley, RL, Mazi, M, De Bond, FK, Lorimer, J, Horta, F, Parast, FY, Gardner, DK, Nosrati, R & Warkiani, ME 2025, 'A biomimetic sperm selection device for routine sperm selection', Reproductive BioMedicine Online, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 104433-104433.
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Wang, W, Mao, W, Sun, H, Hou, F, Wang, W, Liu, W, Shi, Z, Lin, G, Wang, M, Fang, G, Cheng, YY & Xu, C 2025, 'Microfluidic SERS biosensor based on Au-semicoated photonic crystals for melanoma diagnosis', Biosensors and Bioelectronics, vol. 271, pp. 116983-116983.
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Zhand, S, Goss, DM, Cheng, YY & Warkiani, ME 2025, 'Recent Advances in Microfluidics for Nucleic Acid Analysis of Small Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer', Advanced Healthcare Materials, vol. 14, no. 4.
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AbstractSmall extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are membranous vesicles released from cellular structures through plasma membrane budding. These vesicles contain cellular components such as proteins, lipids, mRNAs, microRNAs, long‐noncoding RNA, circular RNA, and double‐stranded DNA, originating from the cells they are shed from. Ranging in size from ≈25 to 300 nm and play critical roles in facilitating cell‐to‐cell communication by transporting signaling molecules. The discovery of sEVs in bodily fluids and their involvement in intercellular communication has revolutionized the fields of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment, particularly in diseases like cancer. Conventional methods for isolating and analyzing sEVs, particularly their nucleic acid content face challenges including high costs, low purity, time‐consuming processes, limited standardization, and inconsistent yield. The development of microfluidic devices, enables improved precision in sorting, isolating, and molecular‐level separation using small sample volumes, and offers significant potential for the enhanced detection and monitoring of sEVs associated with cancer. These advanced techniques hold great promise for creating next‐generation diagnostic and prognostic tools given their possibility of being cost‐effective, simple to operate, etc. This comprehensive review explores the current state of research on microfluidic devices for the detection of sEV‐derived nucleic acids as biomarkers and their translation into practical point‐of‐care and clinical applications.

Zhang, L, Zhou, J, Shimoni, O, Wen, S, Alghalayini, A, Liu, Y, Rezaeishahmirzadi, M, Liao, J, Maddahfar, M, Hunt, R, Black, M, Johansen, MD, Hansbro, PM, Zhang, L, Stenzel, M, Warkiani, M, Valenzuela, SM & Jin, D 2025, 'A COVID‐19 rapid antigen test employing upconversion nanoparticles', Smart Molecules, vol. 3, no. 1.
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AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic has underscored the critical need for rapid and accurate diagnostic tools. Current methods, including Polymerase Chain Reaction and rapid antigen tests (RAT), have limitations in speed, sensitivity, and the requirement for specialized equipment and trained personnel. Nanotechnology, particularly upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), offer a promising alternative due to their unique optical properties. UCNPs can convert low‐energy near‐infrared light into higher‐energy visible light, making them ideal for use as optical probes in single molecule detection and point of care applications. This study, initiated in early 2020, explores the opportunity of using highly doped UCNPs (40%Yb3+/4%Er3+) in lateral flow assay (LFA) for the early diagnosis of COVID‐19. The UCNPs‐based LFA testing demonstrated a minimum detection concentration of 100 pg/mL for SARS‐CoV‐2 antigen and 105 CCID50/mL for inactivated virus. Clinical trials, conducted in Malaysia and Western Australia independently, showed that the technique was at least 100 times more sensitive than commercial RAT kits, with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 91.94%. The development process involved multidisciplinary collaborations, resulting in the Virulizer device, an automated strip reader for point‐of‐care testing. This work sets a reference for future development of highly sensitive and quantitative RAT, aiming for the Limits of Detection in the range of sub‐ng/mL.

Zhao, H, Liao, J, Fu, S, Zi, Y, Bai, X, Ci, Y, Zhang, Y, Cai, X, Li, Y, Cun, Y, Huang, A, Liu, Y, Qiu, J, Song, Z, Li, G, Zhou, J & Yang, Z 2025, 'Direct 3D Lithography of Reversible Photochromic Patterns with Tunable Luminescence in Amorphous Transparent Media', ACS Energy Letters, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 1235-1244.
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Zhu, J, Ma, H, Du, J, Fang, H, Cheng, YY, Xu, J, Pan, B & Song, K 2025, 'A coaxial 3D bioprinted hybrid vascular scaffold based on decellularized extracellular matrix/nano clay/sodium alginate bioink', International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, vol. 290, pp. 139056-139056.
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Zhang, M, Zhao, W, Xiao, Z, Chang, L, Wang, X, Bai, Y, Guan, X, Liu, T, Li, Y, Li, Q, Li, C, Xu, D, Su, QP & Sun, Y 2025, 'Lamin A/C safeguards replication initiation by orchestrating chromatin accessibility and PCNA recruitment', Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
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