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Mohan MD, Latifi N, Flick R, Simmons CA, Young EWK. Interrogating Matrix Stiffness and Metabolomics in Pancreatic Ductal Carcinoma Using an Openable Microfluidic Tumor-on-a-Chip. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024. [PMID: 38606850 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c00556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by a dense fibrotic stroma that contributes to aggressive tumor biology and therapeutic resistance. Current in vitro PDAC models lack sufficient optical and physical access for fibrous network visualization, in situ mechanical stiffness measurement, and metabolomic profiling. Here, we describe an openable multilayer microfluidic PDAC-on-a-chip platform that consists of pancreatic tumor cells (PTCs) and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) embedded in a 3D collagen matrix that mimics the stroma. Our system allows fibrous network visualization via reflected light confocal (RLC) microscopy, in situ mechanical stiffness testing using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and compartmentalized hydrogel extraction for PSC metabolomic profiling via mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. In comparing cocultures of gel-embedded PSCs and PTCs with PSC-only monocultures, RLC microscopy identified a significant decrease in pore size and corresponding increase in fiber density. In situ AFM indicated significant increases in stiffness, and hallmark characteristics of PSC activation were observed using fluorescence microscopy. PSCs in coculture also demonstrated localized fiber alignment and densification as well as increased collagen production. Finally, an untargeted MS study putatively identified metabolic contributions consistent with in vivo PDAC studies. Taken together, this platform can potentially advance our understanding of tumor-stromal interactions toward the discovery of novel therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Mohan
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E2, Canada
| | - Neda Latifi
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, 661 University Avenue, 14th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1M1, Canada
- Department of Medical Engineering, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, ENG 030, Tampa, Florida 33620, United States
| | - Robert Flick
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, 200 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E5, Canada
| | - Craig A Simmons
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E2, Canada
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, 661 University Avenue, 14th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Edmond W K Young
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E2, Canada
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Otte EA, Smith TN, Glass N, Wolvetang EJ, Cooper-White JJ. Exploring the cell interactome: deciphering relative impacts of cell-cell communication in cell co-culture using a novel microfluidic device. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:537-548. [PMID: 38168806 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00670k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
The human body is made up of approximately 40 trillion cells in close contact, with the cellular density of individual tissues varying from 1 million to 1 billion cells per cubic centimetre. Interactions between different cell types (termed heterotypic) are thus common in vivo. Communication between cells can take the form of direct cell-cell contact mediated by plasma membrane proteins or through paracrine signalling mediated through the release, diffusion, and receipt of soluble factors. There is currently no systematic method to investigate the relative contributions of these mechanisms to cell behaviour. In this paper, we detail the conception, development and validation of a microfluidic device that allows cell-cell contact and paracrine signalling in defined areas and over a variety of biologically relevant length scales, referred to as the interactome-device or 'I-device'. Importantly, by intrinsic device design features, cells in different regions in the device are exposed to four different interaction types, including a) no heterotypic cell interaction, b) only paracrine signalling, c) only cell-cell direct contact, or d) both forms of interaction (paracrine and cell-cell direct contact) together. The device design was validated by both mathematical modelling and experiments. Perfused stem cell culture over the medium term and the formation of direct contact between cells in the culture chambers was confirmed. The I-device offers significant flexibility, being able to be applied to any combination of adherent cells to determine the relative contributions of different communication mechanisms to cellular outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen A Otte
- Tissue Engineering and Microfluidics Laboratory (TE&M), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Manufacturing, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Taryn N Smith
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Nick Glass
- Tissue Engineering and Microfluidics Laboratory (TE&M), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.
- The UQ Centre in Stem Cell Ageing and Regenerative Engineering (StemCARE), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Ernst J Wolvetang
- Tissue Engineering and Microfluidics Laboratory (TE&M), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.
- The UQ Centre in Stem Cell Ageing and Regenerative Engineering (StemCARE), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Justin J Cooper-White
- Tissue Engineering and Microfluidics Laboratory (TE&M), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.
- The UQ Centre in Stem Cell Ageing and Regenerative Engineering (StemCARE), Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Manufacturing, Clayton, VIC, Australia
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Kheiri S, Chen Z, Yakavets I, Rakhshani F, Young EWK, Kumacheva E. Integrating spheroid-on-a-chip with tubeless rocker platform: A high-throughput biological screening platform. Biotechnol J 2023; 18:e2200621. [PMID: 37436706 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202200621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Spheroid-on-a-chip platforms are emerging as promising in vitro models that enable screening of the efficacy of biologically active ingredients. Generally, the supply of liquids to spheroids occurs in the steady flow mode with the use of syringe pumps; however, the utilization of tubing and connections, especially for multiplexing and high-throughput screening applications, makes spheroid-on-a-chip platforms labor- and cost-intensive. Gravity-induced flow using rocker platforms overcomes these challenges. Here, a robust gravity-driven technique was developed to culture arrays of cancer cell spheroids and dermal fibroblast spheroids in a high-throughput manner using a rocker platform. The efficiency of the developed rocker-based platform was benchmarked to syringe pumps for generating multicellular spheroids and their use for screening biologically active ingredients. Cell viability, internal spheroid structure as well as the effect of vitamin C on spheroids' protein synthesis was studied. The rocker-based platform not only offers comparable or enhanced performance in terms of cell viability, spheroids formation, and protein production by dermal fibroblast spheroids but also, from a practical perspective, offers a smaller footprint, requires a lower cost, and offers an easier method for handling. These results support the application of rocker-based microfluidic spheroid-on-a-chip platforms for in vitro screening in a high-throughput manner with industrial scaling-up opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Kheiri
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Zhengkun Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ilya Yakavets
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Faeze Rakhshani
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Edmond W K Young
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Eugenia Kumacheva
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Park S, Newton J, Hidjir T, Young EWK. Bidirectional airflow in lung airway-on-a-chip with matrix-derived membrane elicits epithelial glycocalyx formation. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 23:3671-3682. [PMID: 37462986 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00259d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Organ-on-a-chip systems are rapidly advancing as a viable alternative to existing experimental models in respiratory research. To date, however, epithelial cell cultures within lung airway-on-a-chip devices have yet to demonstrate the presence of an epithelial glycocalyx, a thin layer of proteoglycans, glycoproteins, and glycolipids known to play an important role in regulating epithelial function. Here, we demonstrate that an airway-on-a-chip device that incorporates bidirectional flow mimicking breathing cycles in combination with an ultra-thin matrix-derived membrane (UMM) layer can generate a glycocalyx layer comprised of heparan sulfate. Results with this device and airflow system showed dramatic differences of airway epithelial cell viability and expression of tight junctions, cilia, and mucus over a wide range of flow rates when cultured under oscillatory flow. More importantly, for the first time in a microfluidic organ-on-a-chip setting, we achieved the visualization of an airflow-induced epithelial glycocalyx layer. Our experiments highlight the importance of physiological mimicry in developing in vitro models, as bidirectional airflow showed more representative mucociliary differentiation compared to continuous unidirectional airflow. Thus, the lung airway-on-a-chip platform demonstrated in this study holds great potential as a lung epithelial barrier model for studying the mechanisms of various respiratory diseases and for testing the efficacy of therapeutic candidates in the presence of bidirectional airflow and the glycocalyx.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siwan Park
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada.
| | - Jeremy Newton
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Tesnime Hidjir
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G8, Canada
| | - Edmond W K Young
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G9, Canada.
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 3G8, Canada
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Wu Y, Zhao Y, Zhou Y, Islam K, Liu Y. Microfluidic Droplet-Assisted Fabrication of Vessel-Supported Tumors for Preclinical Drug Discovery. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:15152-15161. [PMID: 36920885 PMCID: PMC10249002 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c23305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
High-fidelity in vitro tumor models are important for preclinical drug discovery processes. Currently, the most commonly used model for in vitro drug testing remains the two-dimensional (2D) cell monolayer. However, the natural in vivo tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of extracellular matrix (ECM), supporting stromal cells and vasculature. They not only participate in the progression of tumors but also hinder drug delivery and effectiveness on tumor cells. Here, we report an integrated engineering system to generate vessel-supported tumors for preclinical drug screening. First, gelatin-methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel was selected to mimic tumor extracellular matrix (ECM). HCT-116 tumor cells were encapsulated into individual micro-GelMA beads with microfluidic droplet technique to mimic tumor-ECM interactions in vitro. Then, normal human lung fibroblasts were mingled with tumor cells to imitate the tumor-stromal interaction. The tumor cells and fibroblasts reconstituted in the individual GelMA microbead and formed a biomimetic heterotypic tumor model with a core-shell structure. Next, the cell-laden beads were consociated into a functional on-chip vessel network platform to restore the tumor-tumor microenvironment (TME) interaction. Afterward, the anticancer drug paclitaxel was tested on the individual and vessel-supported tumor models. It was demonstrated that the blood vessel-associated TME conferred significant additional drug resistance in the drug screening experiment. The reported system is expected to enable the large-scale fabrication of vessel-supported heterotypic tumor models of various cellular compositions. It is believed to be promising for the large-scale fabrication of biomimetic in vitro tumor models and may be valuable for improving the efficiency of preclinical drug discovery processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wu
- Department
of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Yuwen Zhao
- Department
of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Yuyuan Zhou
- Department
of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Khayrul Islam
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
| | - Yaling Liu
- Department
of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, United States
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Laschke MW, Gu Y, Menger MD. Replacement in angiogenesis research: Studying mechanisms of blood vessel development by animal-free in vitro, in vivo and in silico approaches. Front Physiol 2022; 13:981161. [PMID: 36060683 PMCID: PMC9428454 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.981161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, is an essential process determining numerous physiological and pathological conditions. Accordingly, there is a high demand for research approaches allowing the investigation of angiogenic mechanisms and the assessment of pro- and anti-angiogenic therapeutics. The present review provides a selective overview and critical discussion of such approaches, which, in line with the 3R principle, all share the common feature that they are not based on animal experiments. They include in vitro assays to study the viability, proliferation, migration, tube formation and sprouting activity of endothelial cells in two- and three-dimensional environments, the degradation of extracellular matrix compounds as well as the impact of hemodynamic forces on blood vessel formation. These assays can be complemented by in vivo analyses of microvascular network formation in the chorioallantoic membrane assay and early stages of zebrafish larvae. In addition, the combination of experimental data and physical laws enables the mathematical modeling of tissue-specific vascularization, blood flow patterns, interstitial fluid flow as well as oxygen, nutrient and drug distribution. All these animal-free approaches markedly contribute to an improved understanding of fundamental biological mechanisms underlying angiogenesis. Hence, they do not only represent essential tools in basic science but also in early stages of drug development. Moreover, their advancement bears the great potential to analyze angiogenesis in all its complexity and, thus, to make animal experiments superfluous in the future.
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Tu TY, Shen YP, Lim SH, Wang YK. A Facile Method for Generating a Smooth and Tubular Vessel Lumen Using a Viscous Fingering Pattern in a Microfluidic Device. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:877480. [PMID: 35586553 PMCID: PMC9108369 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.877480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Blood vessels are ubiquitous in the human body and play essential roles not only in the delivery of vital oxygen and nutrients but also in many disease implications and drug transportation. Although fabricating in vitro blood vessels has been greatly facilitated through various microfluidic organ-on-chip systems, most platforms that are used in the laboratories suffer from a series of laborious processes ranging from chip fabrication, optimization, and control of physiologic flows in micro-channels. These issues have thus limited the implementation of the technique to broader scientific communities that are not ready to fabricate microfluidic systems in-house. Therefore, we aimed to identify a commercially available microfluidic solution that supports user custom protocol developed for microvasculature-on-a-chip (MVOC). The custom protocol was validated to reliably form a smooth and functional blood vessel using a viscous fingering (VF) technique. Using VF technique, the unpolymerized collagen gel in the media channels was extruded by less viscous fluid through VF passive flow pumping, whereby the fluid volume at the inlet and outlet ports are different. The different diameters of hollow tubes produced by VF technique were carefully investigated by varying the ambient temperature, the pressure of the passive pump, the pre-polymerization time, and the concentration of collagen type I. Subsequently, culturing human umbilical vein endothelial cells inside the hollow structure to form blood vessels validated that the VF-created structure revealed a much greater permeability reduction than the vessel formed without VF patterns, highlighting that a more functional vessel tube can be formed in the proposed methodology. We believe the current protocol is timely and will offer new opportunities in the field of in vitro MVOC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Yuan Tu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Medical Device Innovation Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- International Center for Wound Repair and Regeneration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- *Correspondence: Ting-Yuan Tu,
| | - Yen-Ping Shen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | | | - Yang-Kao Wang
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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