News

A new article titled ‘P-type accumulation mode organic electrochemical transistor biosensor for xanthine detection in fish‘ has been published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

In our latest research, we developed an OECT-based biosensor with a p-type polymer bithiophene–thienothiophene copolymer with tetraethylene glycol side chains, p(g42T-TT), as the channel material. The xanthine biosensor aims to monitor the quality of meat and fish products, providing freshness predictions with respect to pre-defined expiration dates. The biosensor detects the xanthine level, which reflects the degradation of meat and fish products. The results show the time-dependent xanthine in fish samples from day 0 to day 6.

[link to the article]

Our lab is excited to announce our participation in a groundbreaking project, ‘Developing a first-in-class vascularized Gut-Brain-Axis-on-chip platform for accelerating research and drug discovery (GBA-CONNECT)‘. In collaboration with Dr.biol. Artūrs Ābols at the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre (BMC), Cellboxlab, and other esteemed partners, the project will run up to mid-2026.

This initiative, funded by the Eureka Eurostars program, aims to develop a cutting-edge Gut-Brain-Axis (GBA) on-chip platform integrating advanced organ-on-chip technologies, including in vitro blood-brain barriers and co-cultured anaerobic microbiota. Next-generation hardware for automated culturing, monitoring, and analysis will also be investigated to address critical gaps in current drug discovery methods. This platform will provide new insights into drug absorption, blood-brain barrier permeability, and drug toxicity evaluation to enhance our understanding of the Gut-Brain-Axis, with the potential to revolutionise therapeutic development for neurological and mental health conditions.

Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of this exciting research!

The latest article ‘In Situ Functionalization of Polar Polythiophene-Based Organic Electrochemical Transistor to Interface In Vitro Models‘ has been published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

In our latest research, we present the new conjugated polymer p(g42T-T)-8% OH, a promising material for simplifying the interface between biological systems and electronics. This polymer contains hydroxyl groups, enabling straightforward chemical modifications to control cell adhesion and growth on its surface. We demonstrate the fabrication of organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) using p(g42T-T)-8% OH, which were successfully employed to monitor the formation of cell barriers in vitro. This research provides a valuable tool for studying biological systems and offers a pathway for developing customizable bioelectronic devices that more effectively interface with biological tissues.

[link to the article]

Our work on ‘Electromigrated Gold Nanogap Tunnel Junction Arrays: Fabrication and Electrical Behavior in Liquid and Gaseous Media‘ has been published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. The associated work on the measurement setup has also been published in Review of Scientific Instruments, titled ‘High-bandwidth low-current measurement system for automated and scalable probing of tunnel junctions in liquids‘.

The first article introduces feedback-controlled electromigration to fabricate stable gold nanogap tunnel junctions for single-molecule sensors capable of operating robustly across various liquid and gaseous environments. We systematically examine both the electrical behaviour and the yield of junction formation across different media, with attention to how specific operating conditions influence stability and performance. The findings not only advance our understanding of tunnel junction scalability and production but also enhance the potential for integrating these sensors into practical, compact devices.

In the second article, we describe an innovative measurement setup that supports high-bandwidth (>10 kHz) and low-current (pA–nA) measurements, crucial for the effective probing of these tunnel junctions. By integrating a custom two-terminal probe with a 100 kHz bandwidth amplifier and automating the data acquisition within a noise-reducing Faraday cage, we have streamlined the scalability and improved the precision of these measurements.

[link to the article 1]

[link to the article 2]

Our latest work, ‘On-Chip Neural Induction Boosts Neural Stem Cell Commitment: Toward a Pipeline for iPSC-Based Therapies’, has been published in Advanced Science and featured in KTH press release.

The work has successfully demonstrated the first microfluidics platform to redirect iPSCs toward becoming neural stem cells. Here, a simple and cost-efficient microfluidic platform is developed to reprogram human fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and further differentiate them into neural stem cells with boosted neural stem cell generation commitment. With further customization, the platform could be adapted for differentiation into other cell types, marking an important step towards making personalized cell-based therapies for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease more accessible.

[link to the article]

[link to press release at KTH]

A new perspective article titled Human In Vitro Models of Neuroenergetics and Neurometabolic Disturbances: Current Advances and Clinical Perspectives‘ has now been published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

Understanding the mechanism behind CNS energy metabolism and their role on brain function is crucial to answer the relevant questions in human neurological conditions. Establishing a physiologically relevant in vitro models of neuroenergetics requires comprehensive understanding of different cell types processes and interaction, also various metabolic pathways and regulatory mechanisms. The article highlights important keypoints in the development of human in vitro model of neuroenergetics, covering both the biology and technology perspectives.

[link to the article]

The published article from Advanced Science titled ‘Cleanroom-Free Direct Laser Micropatterning of Polymers for Organic Electrochemical Transistors in Logic Circuits and Glucose Biosensors’ has been featured in the KTH press release on Via TT news channel.

The established protocols aim to be a sustainable alternative to perform device fabrication with reduced dependency on cleanroom facilities, which involve a significant amount of solvents and chemical developer baths in the process. The work also demonstrated the possibility of performing rapid prototyping with micropatterning based on ultrafast laser technology to manufacture different types of organic bioelectronics devices.

[link to the article]

[link to press release at KTH]

[link to press release at Via TT]

The work ‘Mixing Insulating Commodity Polymers with Semiconducting n-type Polymers Enables High-Performance Electrochemical Transistors’ has been published in Advanced Materials and featured in IEEE Spectrum.

Blending polystyrene with n-type conjugated polymer p(N-T) is demonstrated to produce high-performing OECT with drastically reduced conjugated polymer required to achieve functionality. By using commodity polymers such as polystyrene, the organic semiconductors’ material consumption could then be used sparsely, leading to the cost-effective and sustainable development of organic transistors.

[link to the article]

[link to the IEEE Spectrum article]

[link to press release at SU]

A new perspective article titled ‘From animal testing to in vitro systems: advancing standardization in microphysiological systems‘ was published in Lab on a Chip today.

Microphysiological systems, like organ-on-a-chip models, show promise for healthcare and drug development. Clear standards are needed for their effective use. Collaborative efforts are underway to establish these standards, with input from regulators, academia, and industry. This framework aims to foster discussion and enhance the impact of microphysiological systems.

[link to the article]

Our latest work presenting a cleanroom-free method to micropattern polymers for fabricating organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) has now been published in Advanced Science.

By employing femtosecond laser technology, we achieved high-resolution patterning of insulating and (semi)conducting polymers with a resolution down to 2 micrometers, providing a cost-effective alternative to traditional cleanroom-based microfabrication methods. This versatile and scalable approach is particularly well-suited for prototyping, therefore accelerating OECT research and facilitating their widespread use in applications such as biosensors or logic gates. Our work marks a significant step towards more accessible and efficient OECT fabrication methods, offering potential benefits for a variety of advanced organic bioelectronic applications.

[link to press release at KTH]
[link to the publication]

A new paper titled ‘3D-Printed Biohybrid Microstructures Enable Transplantation and Vascularization of Microtissues in the Anterior Chamber of the Eye‘ was published in Advanced Materials today.

This study introduces a pioneering approach for transplanting biohybrid microstructures into the anterior chamber of the eye. This technique combines biological cells with sensors to detect subtle physiological responses with precision. Overcoming challenges related to pupillary dynamics, the method ensures secure transplantation and prolonged functionality of microstructures housing pancreatic islets. Even more striking, these islets develop a blood supply, offering exciting prospects for improved disease modeling, treatment efficacy, and engineered tissue vascularization. This breakthrough redefines possibilities in bioengineering and regenerative medicine, providing hope for enhanced medical treatments.

link to the article

link to the press release at KTH

The Herland Lab spent an intense and enjoyable week in Berlin, Germany at Microphysiological Society World Summit which was held together with the European Organ-on-Chip conference.

Sebastian gave a talk in the session on “Microfabrication, Instrumentation & Sensors” and Laura presented the work done as a part of master thesis in the session on “MPS for Vascularization”. Julia, Rohollah, Saumey, and Begum presented posters with their latest research results.

Julia, Begum, Sebastian and Laura were also awarded travel grants.

A new paper titled ‘Probabilistic cell seeding and non-autofluorescent 3D-printed structures as scalable approach for multi-level co-culture modeling‘ was published in Materials Today Bio today.

In this work, we have developed a 3D-printed platform that enables precise control and in-depth study of the interaction between astrocytes and neurons. To achieve this, we utilized a commercially available printing resin IP-Visio (Nanoscribe), with non-autofluorescent and non-cytotoxic properties. We successfully printed a neurite guidance platform, which served as a guiding structure for the outgrowth of neurites from neurons. By employing a probabilistic two-step cell seeding approach, we were then able to control the interaction points between neurons and astrocytes. This innovative approach simplifies the modeling of complex brain interactions, thereby facilitating further advancements in biomedical research and enhancing our understanding of the human brain.

link to the article

Prof. Anna Herland gave the plenary talk at The International Society for Stem Cell Research‘s Annual Meeting 2023, 14-17th June 2023 in Boston on next-generation in-vitro models for modeling development and disease.

Herland Lab participated at the Swedish Microfluidics in Life Science conference in Stockholm on the 30th and 31st of May. Laura and Rohollah had oral presentations, whereas Yunfan, Monika, and Salem presented their research as posters. It was a great opportunity to network with the microfluidics network in Sweden as well as the neighboring countries.

Laura Benito-Zarza pitched her master thesis work today during the Nordic Organ-on-Chip networking event and won one of the best pitch awards, consisting of a travel grant in the Nordics to expand her network and experience in the Organ-on-Chip field. She is supervised by Dr. Julia Rogal and Dr. Alessandro Enrico and working to develop a hiPSC-derived microvascularized tissue model to recapitulate in vivo complexity for the study and treatment of complex diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Congratulations Laura!

Dr. Erica Zeglio was admitted as a Docent in Bioelectronic Materials at KTH. She gave the docent lecture on ‘Organic bioelectronics: from sustainable materials chemistry to the interface with biology.’ The docentship in the Swedish system means she can supervise and be an opponent for a PhD candidate and is not supposed to lose badly.

A new paper titled ‘Astrocyte 3D culture and bioprinting using peptide functionalized hyaluronan hydrogels‘ was published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials today.

This work highlights the development of peptide functionalized hyaluronan hydrogels for bioprinting. The study utilized neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) and glioblastoma (U87) cell lines and human fetal primary astrocytes (FPA) with a modular hyaluronan-based hydrogel system. It was observed that FPA had a higher degree of interaction with the hyaluronan-based gels compared to the cell lines. These engineered hydrogels enable the possibilities to bioprint, culture and maintain FPA and can thus facilitate the development of more elaborate neural and astrocytic tissue and disease models.

link to article

Prof. Anna Herland and Dr. Erica Zeglio are awarded grants from the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskaprådet).

1. Refining neurovascular in vitro models  (Prof. Anna Herland, co PIs: Ryan Hicks (AstraZeneca), Xenia Nikolakopoulou (KI), Jane Synnergren (University of Skövde))

All new drug candidates need to be evaluated for central nervous system (brain) penetration and sideeffects. Unfortunately, and especially for new drug types, the testing methods do not show how the drugs will work in humans. Here, we focus on developing and validating human functional Organ-on-Chip models of the brain and its vasculature. In this work, which is a collaboration with AstraZeneca around the theme to reduce and refine animal experiments, we especially focus on human specific drugs including viral vectors and protein or peptide-based drugs. 

2. 2D and 3D in vitro models with organic electronic interfaces to electrogenic cells (PI: Prof. Anna Herland, co PIs: Prof. Max Hamedi (KTH), Prof. Frank Nikalus (KTH) and Dr. Erica Zeglio (KTH))

Electrodes are needed to stimulate and measure on electrically active tissues, such as the heart and brain. Electrodes are specifically used in electrophysiology, the studies of electrically active cells outside the body. This is an essential method in drug development and toxicity studies. 

 The main goal in this project is to create new methods to carry out electrophysiology in 3D and microfluidic cell culture, so called Organ-on-Chips. We will combine the development of new polymer materials, new transistor designs, and new fabrication methods for electroactivity measurements in 2D and 3D systems. 

3. Biodegradable electronic polymers: from device components to in vivo monitoring technologies (VR Starting Grant, Dr. Erica Zeglio)

Temporary implants are currently based on electronics that dissolve in contact with water, limiting their application in contact with (water-based) biological fluids. With the project “Biodegradable electronic polymers: from device components to in vivo monitoring technologies”, the Team led by Dr. Zeglio will investigate device components that are stable in contact with water and degrade into nontoxic products by the action of living cells.

The article titled “Metabolic Assessment of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-Derived Astrocytes and Fetal Primary Astrocytes: Lactate and Glucose Turnover” was published in Biosensors today.

Astrocytes are one of the key cell types in brain for energy metabolism. In this research article, the metabolic parameters of astrocytes derived from two common sources including induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and human fetal primary astrocytes (HFAs) were studied in a defined media. The glucose uptake and lactate production in astrocytes derived from hiPSC to HFA were compared using a flow-through biosensor. The study concluded that hiPSC-derived astrocytes are as glycogenic as their fetal counterparts, but their normalized metabolic turnover is lower.

link to the article

Herland Lab (re)welcomes Kim and Yunfan after completing their Masters! Kim Roekevisch is back as a Research Engineer at KI, working on the targeting of the CNS using AAVs with Xenia and Julia. Yunfan Lin is also back as a Research Engineer at KTH, working on the development of biodegradable electrochemical sensors for food monitoring with Erica and Anna.

Welcome back Kim and Yunfan!

Dimitrios Voulgaris successfully defended his Ph.D. Thesis titled “Human iPSC-based models of the CNS: attaining cellular biofidelity through conventional and advanced culture systems.“

Congratulations Dimitrios!

link to the thesis on DIVA

Alessandro Enrico defended his Ph.D. thesis titled “Bright Lights: Innovative Micro- and Nano-Patterning for Sensing and Tissue Engineering” successfully.

Congratulations Alessandro!

link to the thesis on DIVA

Today, Isabelle Matthiesen successfully defended her thesis titled ‘Recreating the microenvironment of the neurovascular unit‘.

Congratulations Isabelle!

The article “3D Microvascularized Tissue Models by Laser-Based Cavitation Molding of Collagen” was published in Advanced Materials on January 14^th.

A long-standing question in tissue engineering is how to vascularize tissue models. This study made a breakthrough with a technology that can enable much more physiological vascularization. The article reports a novel patterning approach for collagen hydrogels, referred to as “cavitation molding”, to create 3D cavities that can be used as a template to form the microvasculature. This method enables the fabrication of relevant models to study complex tissue, such as tumors and neural tissue.

Dr. Julia Rogal has joined the Herland Lab as a new postdoctoral scholar at the beginning of the month. Julia received her BSc degree in Biology and MSc degree in Biomedical Engineering from RWTH Aachen University in Germany. In 2021, she got her Ph.D. in biology from the Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen, Germany.

In the Herland Lab, Julia will focus on developing patient-specific iPSC-based blood-brain barrier models for disease modeling and drug screening applications.

At the beginning of the new year, Herland Lab moved to the Division of Nanobiotechnology at the SciLife Laboratory.

link to the page on SciLife Laboratory

The article “Green Synthesis of Lactone-Based Conjugated Polymers for n-Type Organic Electrochemical Transistors” was published in Advanced Functional Materials today.

This research article highlights a new design strategy for n-type organic semiconductors combining sustainable synthesis with the high ionic/electronic conductivity needed for organic electrochemical transistors (OECT). The use of electron-deficient lactone building blocks allowed synthesis via Aldol polymerization, offering the advantage of avoiding toxic and environmentally harmful compounds, such as the organotin reagents commonly used in Stille polymerization. These conjugated polymers are an excellent choice for n-type OECTs, pushing towards a new generation of high-performing materials that are better for the environment.

link to the article

A new review article titled ‘Advanced Materials and Sensors for Microphysiological Systems: Focus on Electronic and Electro-optical Interfaces‘ was published in Advanced Materials today.

Advanced in vitro cell culture, microphysiological systems (MPSs), recapitulate features of human tissues and are increasingly being used for drug development and disease modeling. Still, they are commonly based on standard polymers with minimal real-time stimuli and read-out capacity. This review article describes how advanced materials and devices could enable a technology leap in reproducing in vivo-like functionality and real-time tissue monitoring.

link to the article

A review article titled “Current Progress of Interfacing Organic Semiconducting Materials with Bacteria” was published in Chemical Reviews today.

This review article summarizes the biological and electronic considerations when interfacing organic semiconductors with bacteria. From the biological perspective, it highlights the various mode employed by bacteria to communicate with the environment and with other bacteria. From the application perspective, it summarizes the characterization techniques and device geometries used to interface organic electronics with bacteria.

link to the article

The article “Sorption of Neuropsychopharmaca in Microfluidic Materials for In Vitro Studies” was published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces today. The study highlights the impact of peristaltic pump tubing in sorption of hydrophobic compounds. mainly consisting of neuropsychopharmaca. The article further displays that the use of PDMS or other device construction methods OSTE+ or PC/PSA had a similar effect on the sorption, whereas the material of the tubing had a stronger dependence on sorption as compared to the device material. This signifies that the tubing and associated materials deserve similar attention as other device materials used for in-vitro studies.

link to the article

Dr. Rohollah Nasiri joins the Herland group as our newest postdoctoral scholar. He received his PhD and MSc degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology, Iran, in 2021 and 2014, respectively. His research focusses on designing organ-on-a-chip devices integrated with biosensors for disease modeling and drug screening applications.

The article “Rapid prototyping of heterostructured organic microelectronics using wax printing, filtration, and transfer” was published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C today. The research highlights rapid prototyping of various micropatterned organic electronic heterostructures of PEDOT:PSS using hydrogels filtered onto membranes containing hydrophobic wax patterns. The article also demonstrates the potential of this method for micro-supercapacitors, organic electronic transistors, and their use in cell culture to enable bioelectronics.

The article was also featured on the front cover of the journal.

link to the article

link to the front cover

The article “Continuous Monitoring Reveals Protective Effects of N-Acetylcysteine Amide on an Isogenic Microphysiological Model of the Neurovascular Unit” was published in Small today. The article reports a microphysiological blood-brain barrier model that captures the multicellular interactions of iPS-derived cells. The integrated electrical sensors, facilitated by PDMS-free fabrication, allow for real-time monitoring of how the barrier responds to oxidative stress and antioxidant prophylaxis. The sensor integrated hiBBB-on-chip displayed an immediate utility in the screening of drugs modulating the barrier by providing readout about the temporal pharmacodynamic profiles.

The article was also featured on the inside Back cover of the journal.

link to the article

link to the cover

We have an open Postdoc (scholarship) position in the field of electrochemical biosensors. The post doc scholarship will focus on organic electrochemical transistors-based biosensors for the enzymatic sensing of small molecules. For more details and application, check the link below.

Link to the opening on KTH website

Erica Zeglio was recently featured in an interview in the Women in Research blog. Check out the inspirational and motivational read on the link below.

Link to Erica’s interview on Women in Research blog.

We have an open Postdoc (scholarship) position in the Wallenberg foundation funded project Organs-on-Chips for Translational Research in Brain Disease. This project will be focusing on inborn errors of metabolism in children, combining neural models with real-time sensing of neural function, barrier function and metabolic activity. Conventional cell culture, as well as microfluidic Organ-on-Chip methods will be applied. The post doc scholarship will focus on developing functional stem-cell derived cells for modelling inborn errors of metabolism combined with Brain-on-Chip systems. The postdoc will work closely together with engineers in the Herland lab and clinical researchers at Karolinska Hospital. More details can be found here.

Link to the advertisement on KTH webpage

The article “Bisphenol A Inhibits the Transporter Function of the Blood-Brain Barrier by Directly Interacting with the ABC Transporter Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP)” was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences today. The article highlights that bisphenol A (BPA), a widely used chemical in consumer products affects the transport function of breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). This effect is suggestive to BPA’s known detrimental impact on neurodevelopment.

link to the article on MDPI

Prof. Anna Herland was featured in an interview regarding research in the field of development of brain-on-chip models for testing new treatment methods and regimes on the KTH webpage. (Swedish only)

Link to the text on the KTH homepage (Swedish)

The article “Fluid interfacial energy drives the emergence of three-dimensional periodic structures in micropillar scaffolds” was published in Nature Physics today. The article highlights an elegant design and building approach of periodic three-dimensional multi-material fluid lattice architectures which can also be used for composites, droplet networks and can also support the growth of biological cells and tissues.

link to the article in Nature Physics

link to the news highlight on the article

Erica Zeglio, our post-doc was featured in an interview with Vattenfall, a Swedish energy company where she gave a comment about an innovative technology for power generation using conducting bacterial nanowires.

Link to the interview on Vattenfall (sv)

Congratulations to our postdoc Erica Zeglio on being awarded a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship by the European Commission for her project entitled “BioResORGEL: Bioresorpable Organic Electronic Devices”.

We have another open Postdoc (scholarship) position in the Wallenberg foundation funded project Organs-on-Chips for Translational Research in Brain Disease. The post doc scholarship will focus on developing and integrating sensors in Brain-on-Chip systems using conventional cell culture and microfluidic Organ-on-Chip methods. More details can be found here.

Link to the position on KTH website.

We have an open position for a Postdoctoral Scholarship in the Wallenberg funded project ‘Organs-on-Chips for Translational Research in Brain Disease’. More details can be found here.

Our recent research article titled ‘Low-cost microphysiological systems: feasibility study of a tape-based barrier-on-chip for small intestine modeling‘ which was published in Lab on a Chip earlier this year, was featured in the News and Views section of the journal ATLA (Alternatives to Laboratory Animals).

Organs-on-Chips will be critical to reducing animal experiments in the future. There are many challenges still to overcome toward their widespread use, one important challenge being the high cost and complexity of manufacturing current systems, both commercially or in an academic setting. In our work, we showcase a functional Barrier-on-Chip of the small intestine, fabricated using very simple and low-cost methods that practically anyone can implement in their lab, but that can also be adapted to large-scale industrial manufacture. We hope that this can make Barrier-on-Chip technology much more broadly accessible, particularly to researchers and prototypers in low-resource environments.

Comments from Prof. Anna Herland on the feature in ATLA

Link to the feature in ATLA (Alternatives to Laboratory Animals)

Link to the original research article in Lab on a Chip

Violetta Nikiforova joins the Herland group as our newest master’s student. She is currently enrolled in the Master’s programme in Toxicology at Karolinska Institutet. For her thesis, she will be working with Xenia on the development and validation of novel in-vitro models for adverse effects on the human neurovascular unit.

Prof. Anna Herland was one of the awardees of the Wallenberg Academy Fellows Prolongation Grant 2020 by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation for her work on “brain-on-a-chip” models. Congratulations Prof. Herland!

Link to research description on Wallenberg Foundation website

Professor Anna Herland was recently appointed as a member of the editorial board of Stem Cell Reports. Congratulations Anna!

Today, Saskia Ludwig and Eleni Stergiou join the Herland group as our newest Master’s students. Saskia is pursuing a Master’s degree in Fundamental Neuroscience at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and will work on her thesis with Isabelle on spontaneous differentiation of neuroepithelial stem cells in 3D hydrogels at KTH. Eleni is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Molecular Medicine at Uppsala University and will work on her thesis with Xenia on the development of hiPSC-based in-vitro models of neurovascular unit for screening and investigation of novel drug modalities.

Together with Professor Myung-Han Yoon, Professor Anna Herland guest-edited a special issue on Macromolecular Bioelectronics in Macromolecular Bioscience.

link to the journal