1
|
Lee KH, Kim TH. Recent Advances in Multicellular Tumor Spheroid Generation for Drug Screening. BIOSENSORS 2021; 11:445. [PMID: 34821661 PMCID: PMC8615712 DOI: 10.3390/bios11110445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTs) have been employed in biomedical fields owing to their advantage in designing a three-dimensional (3D) solid tumor model. For controlling multicellular cancer spheroids, mimicking the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironment is important to understand cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. In drug cytotoxicity assessments, MCTs provide better mimicry of conventional solid tumors that can precisely represent anticancer drug candidates' effects. To generate incubate multicellular spheroids, researchers have developed several 3D multicellular spheroid culture technologies to establish a research background and a platform using tumor modelingvia advanced materials science, and biosensing techniques for drug-screening. In application, drug screening was performed in both invasive and non-invasive manners, according to their impact on the spheroids. Here, we review the trend of 3D spheroid culture technology and culture platforms, and their combination with various biosensing techniques for drug screening in the biomedical field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tae-Hyung Kim
- School of Integrative Engineering, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseuk-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Korea;
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cho SY, Koman VB, Gong X, Moon SJ, Gordiichuk P, Strano MS. Nanosensor Chemical Cytometry for Characterizing the Efflux Heterogeneity of Nitric Oxide from Macrophages. ACS NANO 2021; 15:13683-13691. [PMID: 34398614 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c04958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Macrophages are a critical part of the human immune response, and their collective heterogeneity is implicated in disease progression and prevention. A nondestructive, label-free tool does not currently exist for profiling the dynamic, antigenic responses of single macrophages in a collection to correlate with specific molecular expression and correlated biophysical properties at the cellular level, despite the potential for diagnosis and therapeutics. Herein, we develop a nanosensor chemical cytometry (NCC) that can profile the heterogeneity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) responses from macrophage populations. By integrating a near-infrared (nIR) fluorescent nanosensor array and collagen layer with microfluidics, the cellular lensing effect of the macrophage was utilized to characterize both nitric oxide (NO) efflux and refractive index (RI) changes at a single-cell level. Using a parallel, multichannel approach, distinct iNOS heterogeneities of macrophages can be monitored at an attomolar (10-18 mol) sensitivity in a nondestructive and real-time manner with a throughput of exceeding the 200 cells/frame. We demonstrate that estimated mean NO efflux rates of macrophage populations are elevated from 342 (σ = 199) to 464 (σ = 206) attomol/cell·hr with a 3% larger increase in the heterogeneity, and estimated RI of macrophage decrease from 1.366 (σ = 0.015) to 1.359 (σ = 0.009) with trimodal subpopulations under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) activation. These measured values are also in good agreement with Griess assay results and previously reported measurements. This work provides an efficient strategy for single-cell analysis of macrophage populations for cellular manufacturing and biopharmaceutical engineering.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Soo-Yeon Cho
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Volodymyr B Koman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Xun Gong
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Sun Jin Moon
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Pavlo Gordiichuk
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Michael S Strano
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Cheng JW, Sip CG, Lindstedt PR, Boitano R, Bluestein BM, Gamble LJ, Folch A. “Chip-on-a-Transwell” Devices for User-Friendly Control of the Microenvironment of Cultured Cells. ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS 2019; 2:4998-5011. [DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.9b00672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan W. Cheng
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Box 355061, Seattle, Washington 98195-5061, United States
| | - Christopher G. Sip
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Box 355061, Seattle, Washington 98195-5061, United States
| | - Philip R. Lindstedt
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Box 355061, Seattle, Washington 98195-5061, United States
| | - Ross Boitano
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Box 355061, Seattle, Washington 98195-5061, United States
| | - Blake M. Bluestein
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Box 355061, Seattle, Washington 98195-5061, United States
| | - Lara J. Gamble
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Box 355061, Seattle, Washington 98195-5061, United States
| | - Albert Folch
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Box 355061, Seattle, Washington 98195-5061, United States
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Warrick JW, Timm A, Swick A, Yin J. Tools for Single-Cell Kinetic Analysis of Virus-Host Interactions. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0145081. [PMID: 26752057 PMCID: PMC4713429 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 11/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Measures of cellular gene expression or behavior, when performed on individual cells, inevitably reveal a diversity of behaviors and outcomes that can correlate with normal or diseased states. For virus infections, the potential diversity of outcomes are pushed to an extreme, where measures of infection reflect features of the specific infecting virus particle, the individual host cell, as well as interactions between viral and cellular components. Single-cell measures, while revealing, still often rely on specialized fluid handling capabilities, employ end-point measures, and remain labor-intensive to perform. To address these limitations, we consider a new microwell-based device that uses simple pipette-based fluid handling to isolate individual cells. Our design allows different experimental conditions to be implemented in a single device, permitting easier and more standardized protocols. Further, we utilize a recently reported dual-color fluorescent reporter system that provides dynamic readouts of viral and cellular gene expression during single-cell infections by vesicular stomatitis virus. In addition, we develop and show how free, open-source software can enable streamlined data management and batch image analysis. Here we validate the integration of the device and software using the reporter system to demonstrate unique single-cell dynamic measures of cellular responses to viral infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jay W. Warrick
- Systems Biology Theme, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Andrea Timm
- Systems Biology Theme, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Adam Swick
- Systems Biology Theme, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - John Yin
- Systems Biology Theme, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Yalcin D, Hakguder ZM, Otu HH. Bioinformatics approaches to single-cell analysis in developmental biology. Mol Hum Reprod 2015; 22:182-92. [PMID: 26358759 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gav050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual cells within the same population show various degrees of heterogeneity, which may be better handled with single-cell analysis to address biological and clinical questions. Single-cell analysis is especially important in developmental biology as subtle spatial and temporal differences in cells have significant associations with cell fate decisions during differentiation and with the description of a particular state of a cell exhibiting an aberrant phenotype. Biotechnological advances, especially in the area of microfluidics, have led to a robust, massively parallel and multi-dimensional capturing, sorting, and lysis of single-cells and amplification of related macromolecules, which have enabled the use of imaging and omics techniques on single cells. There have been improvements in computational single-cell image analysis in developmental biology regarding feature extraction, segmentation, image enhancement and machine learning, handling limitations of optical resolution to gain new perspectives from the raw microscopy images. Omics approaches, such as transcriptomics, genomics and epigenomics, targeting gene and small RNA expression, single nucleotide and structural variations and methylation and histone modifications, rely heavily on high-throughput sequencing technologies. Although there are well-established bioinformatics methods for analysis of sequence data, there are limited bioinformatics approaches which address experimental design, sample size considerations, amplification bias, normalization, differential expression, coverage, clustering and classification issues, specifically applied at the single-cell level. In this review, we summarize biological and technological advancements, discuss challenges faced in the aforementioned data acquisition and analysis issues and present future prospects for application of single-cell analyses to developmental biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dicle Yalcin
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0511, USA
| | - Zeynep M Hakguder
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0511, USA
| | - Hasan H Otu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0511, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
|
7
|
Usta OB, McCarty WJ, Bale S, Hegde M, Jindal R, Bhushan A, Golberg I, Yarmush ML. Microengineered cell and tissue systems for drug screening and toxicology applications: Evolution of in-vitro liver technologies. TECHNOLOGY 2015; 3:1-26. [PMID: 26167518 PMCID: PMC4494128 DOI: 10.1142/s2339547815300012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
The liver performs many key functions, the most prominent of which is serving as the metabolic hub of the body. For this reason, the liver is the focal point of many investigations aimed at understanding an organism's toxicological response to endogenous and exogenous challenges. Because so many drug failures have involved direct liver toxicity or other organ toxicity from liver generated metabolites, the pharmaceutical industry has constantly sought superior, predictive in-vitro models that can more quickly and efficiently identify problematic drug candidates before they incur major development costs, and certainly before they are released to the public. In this broad review, we present a survey and critical comparison of in-vitro liver technologies along a broad spectrum, but focus on the current renewed push to develop "organs-on-a-chip". One prominent set of conclusions from this review is that while a large body of recent work has steered the field towards an ever more comprehensive understanding of what is needed, the field remains in great need of several key advances, including establishment of standard characterization methods, enhanced technologies that mimic the in-vivo cellular environment, and better computational approaches to bridge the gap between the in-vitro and in-vivo results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- O B Usta
- Center for Engineering in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - W J McCarty
- Center for Engineering in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - S Bale
- Center for Engineering in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - M Hegde
- Center for Engineering in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - R Jindal
- Center for Engineering in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - A Bhushan
- Center for Engineering in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - I Golberg
- Center for Engineering in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - M L Yarmush
- Center for Engineering in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Shriners Hospital for Children, 51 Blossom St., Boston, MA 02114, USA ; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 599 Taylor Rd., Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Liadi I, Singh H, Romain G, Rey-Villamizar N, Merouane A, Adolacion JRT, Kebriaei P, Huls H, Qiu P, Roysam B, Cooper LJN, Varadarajan N. Individual Motile CD4(+) T Cells Can Participate in Efficient Multikilling through Conjugation to Multiple Tumor Cells. Cancer Immunol Res 2015; 3:473-82. [PMID: 25711538 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-14-0195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2014] [Accepted: 02/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
T cells genetically modified to express a CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) for the investigational treatment of B-cell malignancies comprise a heterogeneous population, and their ability to persist and participate in serial killing of tumor cells is a predictor of therapeutic success. We implemented Timelapse Imaging Microscopy in Nanowell Grids (TIMING) to provide direct evidence that CD4(+)CAR(+) T cells (CAR4 cells) can engage in multikilling via simultaneous conjugation to multiple tumor cells. Comparisons of the CAR4 cells and CD8(+)CAR(+) T cells (CAR8 cells) demonstrate that, although CAR4 cells can participate in killing and multikilling, they do so at slower rates, likely due to the lower granzyme B content. Significantly, in both sets of T cells, a minor subpopulation of individual T cells identified by their high motility demonstrated efficient killing of single tumor cells. A comparison of the multikiller and single-killer CAR(+) T cells revealed that the propensity and kinetics of T-cell apoptosis were modulated by the number of functional conjugations. T cells underwent rapid apoptosis, and at higher frequencies, when conjugated to single tumor cells in isolation, and this effect was more pronounced on CAR8 cells. Our results suggest that the ability of CAR(+) T cells to participate in multikilling should be evaluated in the context of their ability to resist activation-induced cell death. We anticipate that TIMING may be used to rapidly determine the potency of T-cell populations and may facilitate the design and manufacture of next-generation CAR(+) T cells with improved efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Liadi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Harjeet Singh
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Gabrielle Romain
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | | | - Amine Merouane
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Jay R T Adolacion
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Partow Kebriaei
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Helen Huls
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Peng Qiu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Badrinath Roysam
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
| | - Laurence J N Cooper
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Navin Varadarajan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Abstract
Unprecedented access to the biology of single cells is now feasible, enabled by recent technological advancements that allow us to manipulate and measure sparse samples and achieve a new level of resolution in space and time. This review focuses on advances in tools to study single cells for specific areas of biology. We examine both mature and nascent techniques to study single cells at the genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics level. In addition, we provide an overview of tools that are well suited for following biological responses to defined perturbations with single-cell resolution. Techniques to analyze and manipulate single cells through soluble and chemical ligands, the microenvironment, and cell-cell interactions are provided. For each of these topics, we highlight the biological motivation, applications, methods, recent advances, and opportunities for improvement. The toolbox presented in this review can function as a starting point for the design of single-cell experiments.
Collapse
|
10
|
MacQueen L, Sun Y, Simmons CA. Mesenchymal stem cell mechanobiology and emerging experimental platforms. J R Soc Interface 2013; 10:20130179. [PMID: 23635493 PMCID: PMC3673151 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2013.0179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2013] [Accepted: 04/10/2013] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental control over progenitor cell lineage specification can be achieved by modulating properties of the cell's microenvironment. These include physical properties of the cell adhesion substrate, such as rigidity, topography and deformation owing to dynamic mechanical forces. Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) generate contractile forces to sense and remodel their extracellular microenvironments and thereby obtain information that directs broad aspects of MSC function, including lineage specification. Various physical factors are important regulators of MSC function, but improved understanding of MSC mechanobiology requires novel experimental platforms. Engineers are bridging this gap by developing tools to control mechanical factors with improved precision and throughput, thereby enabling biological investigation of mechanics-driven MSC function. In this review, we introduce MSC mechanobiology and review emerging cell culture platforms that enable new insights into mechanobiological control of MSCs. Our main goals are to provide engineers and microtechnology developers with an up-to-date description of MSC mechanobiology that is relevant to the design of experimental platforms and to introduce biologists to these emerging platforms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luke MacQueen
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yu Sun
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Craig A. Simmons
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Anand RK, Chiu DT. Analytical tools for characterizing heterogeneity in organelle content. Curr Opin Chem Biol 2012; 16:391-9. [PMID: 22694875 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2012.05.187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2012] [Accepted: 05/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Heterogeneity in the content and function of subcellular organelles on the intercellular and intracellular level plays an important role in determining cell fate. These variations extend to normal-state and disease-state cellular functions and responses to environmental stimuli, such as oxidative stress and therapeutic drugs. Analytical tools to characterize variation in all types of organelles are essential to provide insights that can lead to advances in medicine, such as therapies targeted to specific subcellular regions. In this review, we discuss analytical techniques for interrogating individual intact organelles (e.g. mitochondria and synaptic vesicles) and lysates in a high-throughput manner, including a recently developed nanoscale fluorescence-activated subcellular sorter and techniques based on capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection. We then highlight the advantages that droplet microfluidics offers for probing subcellular heterogeneity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robbyn K Anand
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1700, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Sharma NS, Jindal R, Mitra B, Lee S, Li L, Maguire TJ, Schloss R, Yarmush ML. Perspectives on Non-Animal Alternatives for Assessing Sensitization Potential in Allergic Contact Dermatitis. Cell Mol Bioeng 2011; 5:52-72. [PMID: 24741377 DOI: 10.1007/s12195-011-0189-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Skin sensitization remains a major environmental and occupational health hazard. Animal models have been used as the gold standard method of choice for estimating chemical sensitization potential. However, a growing international drive and consensus for minimizing animal usage have prompted the development of in vitro methods to assess chemical sensitivity. In this paper, we examine existing approaches including in silico models, cell and tissue based assays for distinguishing between sensitizers and irritants. The in silico approaches that have been discussed include Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships (QSAR) and QSAR based expert models that correlate chemical molecular structure with biological activity and mechanism based read-across models that incorporate compound electrophilicity. The cell and tissue based assays rely on an assortment of mono and co-culture cell systems in conjunction with 3D skin models. Given the complexity of allergen induced immune responses, and the limited ability of existing systems to capture the entire gamut of cellular and molecular events associated with these responses, we also introduce a microfabricated platform that can capture all the key steps involved in allergic contact sensitivity. Finally, we describe the development of an integrated testing strategy comprised of two or three tier systems for evaluating sensitization potential of chemicals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nripen S Sharma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 599 Taylor Road, 231, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Rohit Jindal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 599 Taylor Road, 231, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Bhaskar Mitra
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 599 Taylor Road, 231, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Serom Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 599 Taylor Road, 231, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Lulu Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 599 Taylor Road, 231, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Tim J Maguire
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 599 Taylor Road, 231, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Rene Schloss
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 599 Taylor Road, 231, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Martin L Yarmush
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, 599 Taylor Road, 231, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA ; Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Xu F, Wu J, Wang S, Durmus NG, Gurkan UA, Demirci U. Microengineering methods for cell-based microarrays and high-throughput drug-screening applications. Biofabrication 2011; 3:034101. [PMID: 21725152 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5082/3/3/034101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Screening for effective therapeutic agents from millions of drug candidates is costly, time consuming, and often faces concerns due to the extensive use of animals. To improve cost effectiveness, and to minimize animal testing in pharmaceutical research, in vitro monolayer cell microarrays with multiwell plate assays have been developed. Integration of cell microarrays with microfluidic systems has facilitated automated and controlled component loading, significantly reducing the consumption of the candidate compounds and the target cells. Even though these methods significantly increased the throughput compared to conventional in vitro testing systems and in vivo animal models, the cost associated with these platforms remains prohibitively high. Besides, there is a need for three-dimensional (3D) cell-based drug-screening models which can mimic the in vivo microenvironment and the functionality of the native tissues. Here, we present the state-of-the-art microengineering approaches that can be used to develop 3D cell-based drug-screening assays. We highlight the 3D in vitro cell culture systems with live cell-based arrays, microfluidic cell culture systems, and their application to high-throughput drug screening. We conclude that among the emerging microengineering approaches, bioprinting holds great potential to provide repeatable 3D cell-based constructs with high temporal, spatial control and versatility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Feng Xu
- Department of Medicine, Demirci Bio-Acoustic-MEMS in Medicine (BAMM) Laboratory, Center for Biomedical Engineering, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Roach KL, King KR, Uygun K, Hand SC, Kohane IS, Yarmush ML, Toner M. High-throughput single cell arrays as a novel tool in biopreservation. Cryobiology 2009; 58:315-21. [PMID: 19303403 DOI: 10.1016/j.cryobiol.2009.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2008] [Revised: 01/13/2009] [Accepted: 03/10/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Microwell array cytometry is a novel high-throughput experimental technique that makes it possible to correlate pre-stress cell phenotypes and post-stress outcomes with single cell resolution. Because the cells are seeded in a high density grid of cell-sized microwells, thousands of individual cells can be tracked and imaged through manipulations as extreme as freezing or drying. Unlike flow cytometry, measurements can be made at multiple time points for the same set of cells. Unlike conventional image cytometry, image analysis is greatly simplified by arranging the cells in a spatially defined pattern and physically separating them from one another. To demonstrate the utility of microwell array cytometry in the field of biopreservation, we have used it to investigate the role of mitochondrial membrane potential in the cryopreservation of primary hepatocytes. Even with optimized cryopreservation protocols, the stress of freezing almost always leads to dysfunction or death in part of the cell population. To a large extent, cell fate is dominated by the stochastic nature of ice crystal nucleation, membrane rupture, and other biophysical processes, but natural variation in the initial cell population almost certainly plays an important and under-studied role. Understanding why some cells in a population are more likely to survive preservation will be invaluable for the development of new approaches to improve preservation yields. For this paper, primary hepatocytes were seeded in microwell array devices, imaged using the mitochondrial dyes Rh123 or JC-1, cryopreserved for up to a week, rapidly thawed, and checked for viability after a short recovery period. Cells with a high mitochondrial membrane potential before freezing were significantly less likely to survive the freezing process, though the difference in short term viability was fairly small. The results demonstrate that intrinsic cell factors do play an important role in cryopreservation survival, even in the short term where extrinsic biophysical factors would be expected to dominate. We believe that microwell array cytometry will be an important tool for a wide range of studies in biopreservation and stress biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth L Roach
- Center for Engineering in Medicine, BioMEMS Resource Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Shriners Hospital for Children, Bldg 114, 16th Street, Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Abstract
Living cells are remarkably complex. To unravel this complexity, living-cell assays have been developed that allow delivery of experimental stimuli and measurement of the resulting cellular responses. High-throughput adaptations of these assays, known as living-cell microarrays, which are based on microtiter plates, high-density spotting, microfabrication, and microfluidics technologies, are being developed for two general applications: (a) to screen large-scale chemical and genomic libraries and (b) to systematically investigate the local cellular microenvironment. These emerging experimental platforms offer exciting opportunities to rapidly identify genetic determinants of disease, to discover modulators of cellular function, and to probe the complex and dynamic relationships between cells and their local environment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martin L Yarmush
- Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgical Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|