This paper presents a molecular mechanics study using a molecular dynamics software (NAMD) coupled to virtual reality (VR) techniques for intuitive bio-nanorobotic prototyping. Using simulated bio-nano environments in VR, the operator can design and characterize through physical simulation and 3-D visualization the behavior of protein-based components and structures. The main novelty of the pro...

We experimentally demonstrated photonic crystal microcavity based resonant sensors coupled to photonic crystal waveguides in silicon nano-membrane on insulator for chemical and bio-sensing. Linear L-type microcavities are considered. In contrast to cavities with small mode volumes, but low quality factors for bio-sensing, we showed increasing the length of the microcavity enhances the quality f...

Mini and micro robots, which can swim in an underwater environment, have drawn widespread research interests because of their potential applicability to the medical or biological fields, including delivery and transportation of bio-materials and drugs, bio-sensing, and bio-surgery. This paper reviews the recent ideas and developments of these types of self-propelling devices, ranging from the m...

The interface of biology and inorganic materials represents one of the fastest growing and most promising areas of nanotechnology. The fifth issue of JACS Select contains 22 Communications and Articles from 2008 and early 2009 that illustrate the breadth and creative energy of this young field. Although the use of colloidal particles of metals and semiconductors as pigments dates back many cent...

The optical properties of various nanostructures have been widely adopted for biological detection, from DNA sequencing to nano-scale single molecule biological function measurements. In particular, by employing localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), we can expect distinguished sensing performance with high sensitivity and resolution. This indicates that nano-scale detections can be realiz...

radically different computing concepts that leverage the physics of biological materials. For example, selforganization, self-repair, and self-reproduction are commonly found in biological systems but are difficult to achieve with conventional computing systems. New computing paradigms, such as cellular automata, neural networks, and evolutionary computing, may provide clues to utilize the comp...

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has demonstrated single-molecule sensitivity and is becoming intensively investigated due to its significant potential in chemical and biomedical applications. SERS sensing is highly dependent on the substrate, where excitation of the localized surface plasmons (LSPs) enhances the Raman scattering signals of proximate analyte molecules. This paper review...

The history from bio-imaging to live single-cell mass spectrometry (MS) is herein reviewed. The limitation of the current bio-imaging method is probing only known molecules, and a method for finding new molecules is needed for cells which, however, show individual behaviors even in the same incubation dish. Single-cell MALDI-TOF/MS has been developed, but it can detect only molecules that can b...