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Kandra M, Vanova T, Jongen VA, Pospíšil J, Novák J, Chochola V, Buryška T, Prokop Z, Hodný Z, Hampl A, Bohaciakova D, Jaros J. A closed 3D printed microfluidic device for automated growth and differentiation of cerebral organoids from single-cell suspension. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2400240. [PMID: 39212189 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202400240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
The development of 3D organoids has provided a valuable tool for studying human tissue and organ development in vitro. Cerebral organoids, in particular, offer a unique platform for investigating neural diseases. However, current methods for generating cerebral organoids suffer from limitations such as labor-intensive protocols and high heterogeneity among organoids. To address these challenges, we present a microfluidic device designed to automate and streamline the formation and differentiation of cerebral organoids. The device utilizes microwells with two different shapes to promote the formation of a single aggregate per well and incorporates continuous medium flow for optimal nutrient exchange. In silico simulations supported the effectiveness of the microfluidic chip in replicating cellular microenvironments. Our results demonstrate that the microfluidic chip enables uniform growth of cerebral organoids, significantly reducing the hands-on time required for maintenance. Importantly, the performance of the microfluidic system is comparable to the standard 96-well plate format even when using half the amount of culture medium, and the resulting organoids exhibit substantially developed neuroepithelial buds and cortical structures. This study highlights the potential of custom-designed microfluidic technology in improving the efficiency of cerebral organoid culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Kandra
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tereza Vanova
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Vincent A Jongen
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Pospíšil
- Core Facility Cellular Imaging, CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Novák
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Laboratory of Genome Integrity, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Václav Chochola
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Buryška
- Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Zbyněk Prokop
- International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
- Loschmidt Laboratories, Institute of Experimental Biology and RECETOX, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zdeněk Hodný
- Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences Laboratory of Genome Integrity, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ales Hampl
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Dasa Bohaciakova
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Jaros
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic
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2
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Skelton M, Gentry JL, Astrab LR, Goedert JA, Earl EB, Pham EL, Bhat T, Caliari SR. Modular Multiwell Viscoelastic Hydrogel Platform for Two- and Three-Dimensional Cell Culture Applications. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2024; 10:3280-3292. [PMID: 38608136 PMCID: PMC11094681 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.4c00312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Hydrogels have gained significant popularity as model platforms to study reciprocal interactions between cells and their microenvironment. While hydrogel tools to probe many characteristics of the extracellular space have been developed, fabrication approaches remain challenging and time-consuming, limiting multiplexing or widespread adoption. Thus, we have developed a modular fabrication approach to generate distinct hydrogel microenvironments within the same 96-well plate for increased throughput of fabrication as well as integration with existing high-throughput assay technologies. This approach enables in situ hydrogel mechanical characterization and is used to generate both elastic and viscoelastic hydrogels across a range of stiffnesses. Additionally, this fabrication method enabled a 3-fold reduction in polymer and up to an 8-fold reduction in fabrication time required per hydrogel replicate. The feasibility of this platform for two-dimensional (2D) cell culture applications was demonstrated by measuring both population-level and single-cell-level metrics via microplate reader and high-content imaging. Finally, a 96-well hydrogel array was utilized for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, demonstrating the ability to support high cell viability. Together, this work demonstrates a versatile and easily adaptable fabrication approach that can support the ever-expanding tool kit of hydrogel technologies for cell culture applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mackenzie
L. Skelton
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Psychology, Department of Chemical
Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
| | - James L. Gentry
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Psychology, Department of Chemical
Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
| | - Leilani R. Astrab
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Psychology, Department of Chemical
Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
| | - Joshua A. Goedert
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Psychology, Department of Chemical
Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
| | - E. Brynn Earl
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Psychology, Department of Chemical
Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
| | - Emily L. Pham
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Psychology, Department of Chemical
Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
| | - Tanvi Bhat
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Psychology, Department of Chemical
Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
| | - Steven R. Caliari
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Psychology, Department of Chemical
Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
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3
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Zheng X, Ai H, Qian K, Li G, Zhang S, Zou Y, Lei C, Fu W, Hu S. Small extracellular vesicles purification and scale-up. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1344681. [PMID: 38469310 PMCID: PMC10925713 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1344681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) secreted by cells. With advances in the study of sEVs, they have shown great potential in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. However, sEV therapy usually requires a certain dose and purity of sEVs to achieve the therapeutic effect, but the existing sEV purification technology exists in the form of low yield, low purity, time-consuming, complex operation and many other problems, which greatly limits the application of sEVs. Therefore, how to obtain high-purity and high-quality sEVs quickly and efficiently, and make them realize large-scale production is a major problem in current sEV research. This paper discusses how to improve the purity and yield of sEVs from the whole production process of sEVs, including the upstream cell line selection and cell culture process, to the downstream isolation and purification, quality testing and the final storage technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinya Zheng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- School of Gongli Hospital Medical Technology, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongru Ai
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- School of Gongli Hospital Medical Technology, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Kewen Qian
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guangyao Li
- Department of Biophysics, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shuyi Zhang
- Department of Biophysics, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yitan Zou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Changhai Lei
- Department of Biophysics, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenyan Fu
- Department of Assisted Reproduction, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Fahe Life Science and Technology Inc., Shanghai, China
| | - Shi Hu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
- School of Gongli Hospital Medical Technology, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
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4
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Reynolds DE, Pan M, Yang J, Galanis G, Roh YH, Morales RT, Kumar SS, Heo S, Xu X, Guo W, Ko J. Double Digital Assay for Single Extracellular Vesicle and Single Molecule Detection. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2303619. [PMID: 37802976 PMCID: PMC10667851 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202303619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as a promising source of biomarkers for disease diagnosis. However, current diagnostic methods for EVs present formidable challenges, given the low expression levels of biomarkers carried by EV samples, as well as their complex physical and biological properties. Herein, a highly sensitive double digital assay is developed that allows for the absolute quantification of individual molecules from a single EV. Because the relative abundance of proteins is low for a single EV, tyramide signal amplification (TSA) is integrated to increase the fluorescent signal readout for evaluation. With the integrative microfluidic technology, the technology's ability to compartmentalize single EVs is successfully demonstrated, proving the technology's digital partitioning capacity. Then the device is applied to detect single PD-L1 proteins from single EVs derived from a melanoma cell line and it is discovered that there are ≈2.7 molecules expressed per EV, demonstrating the applicability of the system for profiling important prognostic and diagnostic cancer biomarkers for therapy response, metastatic status, and tumor progression. The ability to accurately quantify protein molecules of rare abundance from individual EVs will shed light on the understanding of EV heterogeneity and discovery of EV subtypes as new biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E. Reynolds
- Department of BioengineeringUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPA19104USA
| | - Menghan Pan
- Department of BioengineeringUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPA19104USA
| | - Jingbo Yang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPA19104USA
| | - George Galanis
- Department of BioengineeringUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPA19104USA
| | - Yoon Ho Roh
- Department of BioengineeringUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPA19104USA
| | | | | | - Su‐Jin Heo
- Department of BioengineeringUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPA19104USA
- Department of Orthopaedic SurgeryPerelman School of MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPA19104USA
| | - Xiaowei Xu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPA19104USA
| | - Wei Guo
- Department of BiologySchool of Arts and SciencesUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPA19104USA
| | - Jina Ko
- Department of BioengineeringUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPA19104USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory MedicineUniversity of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPA19104USA
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5
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Lee DH, Yun DW, Kim YH, Im GB, Hyun J, Park HS, Bhang SH, Choi SH. Various Three-Dimensional Culture Methods and Cell Types for Exosome Production. Tissue Eng Regen Med 2023; 20:621-635. [PMID: 37269439 PMCID: PMC10313642 DOI: 10.1007/s13770-023-00551-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell-based therapies have been used as promising treatments for several untreatable diseases. However, cell-based therapies have side effects such as tumorigenesis and immune responses. To overcome these side effects, therapeutic effects of exosomes have been researched as replacements for cell-based therapies. In addition, exosomes reduced the risk that can be induced by cell-based therapies. Exosomes contain biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids that play an essential role in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions during biological processes. Since the introduction of exosomes, those have been proven perpetually as one of the most effective and therapeutic methods for incurable diseases. Much research has been conducted to enhance the properties of exosomes, including immune regulation, tissue repair, and regeneration. However, yield rate of exosomes is the critical obstacle that should be overcome for practical cell-free therapy. Three-dimensional (3D) culture methods are introduced as a breakthrough to get higher production yields of exosomes. For example, hanging drop and microwell were well known 3D culture methods and easy to use without invasiveness. However, these methods have limitation in mass production of exosomes. Therefore, a scaffold, spinner flask, and fiber bioreactor were introduced for mass production of exosomes isolated from various cell types. Furthermore, exosomes treatments derived from 3D cultured cells showed enhanced cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and immunosuppressive properties. This review provides therapeutic applications of exosomes using 3D culture methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Hyun Lee
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-Ro, Jangan-Gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-Do, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae Won Yun
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-Ro, Jangan-Gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-Do, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeong Hwan Kim
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-Ro, Jangan-Gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-Do, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Gwang-Bum Im
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-Ro, Jangan-Gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-Do, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiyu Hyun
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-Ro, Jangan-Gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-Do, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Su Park
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-Ro, Jangan-Gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-Do, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Suk Ho Bhang
- School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), 2066 Seobu-Ro, Jangan-Gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-Do, 16419, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sang Hyoun Choi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Science, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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6
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Kolesnik K, Segeritz P, Scott DJ, Rajagopal V, Collins DJ. Sub-wavelength acoustic stencil for tailored micropatterning. LAB ON A CHIP 2023; 23:2447-2457. [PMID: 37042175 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00043e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Acoustofluidic devices are ideal for biomedical micromanipulation applications, with high biocompatibility and the ability to generate force gradients down to the scale of cells. However, complex and designed patterning at the microscale remains challenging. In this work we report an acoustofluidic approach to direct particles and cells within a structured surface in arbitrary configurations. Wells, trenches and cavities are embedded in this surface. Combined with a half-wavelength acoustic field, together these form an 'acoustic stencil' where arbitrary cell and particle arrangements can be reversibly generated. Here a bulk-wavemode lithium niobate resonator generates multiplexed parallel patterning via a multilayer resonant geometry, where cell-scale resolution is accomplished via structured sub-wavelength microfeatures. Uniquely, this permits simultaneous manipulation in a unidirectional, device-spanning single-node field across scalable ∼cm2 areas in a microfluidic device. This approach is demonstrated via patterning of 5, 10 and 15 μm particles and 293-F cells in a variety of arrangements, where these activities are enabling for a range of cell studies and tissue engineering applications via the generation of highly complex and designed acoustic patterns at the microscale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirill Kolesnik
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Philipp Segeritz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Victoria, Australia.
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, 30 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Daniel J Scott
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, 30 Royal Parade, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Vijay Rajagopal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Victoria, Australia.
| | - David J Collins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Victoria, Australia.
- The Graeme Clark Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
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7
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Zhou L, Liu L, Chang MA, Ma C, Chen W, Chen P. Spatiotemporal dissection of tumor microenvironment via in situ sensing and monitoring in tumor-on-a-chip. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 225:115064. [PMID: 36680970 PMCID: PMC9918721 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Real-time monitoring in the tumor microenvironment provides critical insights of cancer progression and mechanistic understanding of responses to cancer treatments. However, clinical challenges and significant questions remain regarding assessment of limited clinical tissue samples, establishment of validated, controllable pre-clinical cancer models, monitoring of static versus dynamic markers, and the translation of insights gained from in vitro tumor microenvironments to systematic investigation and understanding in clinical practice. State-of-art tumor-on-a-chip strategies will be reviewed herein, and emerging real-time sensing and monitoring platforms for on-chip analysis of tumor microenvironment will also be examined. The integration of the sensors with tumor-on-a-chip platforms to provide spatiotemporal information of the tumor microenvironment and the associated challenges will be further evaluated. Though optimal integrated systems for in situ monitoring are still in evolution, great promises lie ahead that will open new paradigm for rapid, comprehensive analysis of cancer development and assist clinicians with powerful tools to guide the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment course in cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lang Zhou
- Materials Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - Lunan Liu
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA
| | - Muammar Ali Chang
- Materials Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - Chao Ma
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA
| | - Weiqiang Chen
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, New York University, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA
| | - Pengyu Chen
- Materials Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA.
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8
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Sano R, Koyama K, Fukuoka N, Ueno H, Yamamura S, Suzuki T. Single-Cell Microarray Chip with Inverse-Tapered Wells to Maintain High Ratio of Cell Trapping. MICROMACHINES 2023; 14:492. [PMID: 36838192 PMCID: PMC9959924 DOI: 10.3390/mi14020492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
A single-cell microarray (SCM) influenced by gravitational force is expected to be one of the simple methods in various fields such as DNA analysis and antibody production. After trapping the cells in the SCM chip, it is necessary to remove the liquid from the SCM to wash away the un-trapped cells on the chip and treat the reagents for analysis. The flow generated during this liquid exchange causes the trapped cells to drop out of conventional vertical wells. In this study, we propose an inverse-tapered well to keep trapped cells from escaping from the SCM. The wells with tapered side walls have a reduced force of flow toward the opening, which prevents trapped cells from escaping. The proposed SCM chip was fabricated using 3D photolithography and polydimethylsiloxane molding techniques. In the trapping experiment using HeLa cells, the cell residual rate increased more than two-fold for the SCM chip with the inverse-tapered well with a taper angle of 30° compared to that for the conventional vertical SCM chip after multiple rounds of liquid exchanges. The proposed well structure increases the number of trapped cells and decreases the cell dropout rate to improve the efficiency of cellular analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryota Sano
- Division of Mechanical Science and Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu 376-8515, Japan
| | - Kentaro Koyama
- Division of Mechanical Science and Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu 376-8515, Japan
| | - Narumi Fukuoka
- Division of Mechanical Science and Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu 376-8515, Japan
| | - Hidetaka Ueno
- Center for Advanced Medical Engineering Research & Development (CAMED), Kobe University, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Shohei Yamamura
- Health and Medical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 2217-14 Hayashi-cho, Takamatsu 761-0395, Japan
| | - Takaaki Suzuki
- Division of Mechanical Science and Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu 376-8515, Japan
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9
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Tevlek A, Kecili S, Ozcelik OS, Kulah H, Tekin HC. Spheroid Engineering in Microfluidic Devices. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:3630-3649. [PMID: 36743071 PMCID: PMC9893254 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) cell culture techniques are commonly employed to investigate biophysical and biochemical cellular responses. However, these culture methods, having monolayer cells, lack cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions, mimicking the cell microenvironment and multicellular organization. Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture methods enable equal transportation of nutrients, gas, and growth factors among cells and their microenvironment. Therefore, 3D cultures show similar cell proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation properties to in vivo. A spheroid is defined as self-assembled 3D cell aggregates, and it closely mimics a cell microenvironment in vitro thanks to cell-cell/matrix interactions, which enables its use in several important applications in medical and clinical research. To fabricate a spheroid, conventional methods such as liquid overlay, hanging drop, and so forth are available. However, these labor-intensive methods result in low-throughput fabrication and uncontrollable spheroid sizes. On the other hand, microfluidic methods enable inexpensive and rapid fabrication of spheroids with high precision. Furthermore, fabricated spheroids can also be cultured in microfluidic devices for controllable cell perfusion, simulation of fluid shear effects, and mimicking of the microenvironment-like in vivo conditions. This review focuses on recent microfluidic spheroid fabrication techniques and also organ-on-a-chip applications of spheroids, which are used in different disease modeling and drug development studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atakan Tevlek
- METU
MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey
| | - Seren Kecili
- The
Department of Bioengineering, Izmir Institute
of Technology, Urla, Izmir 35430, Turkey
| | - Ozge S. Ozcelik
- The
Department of Bioengineering, Izmir Institute
of Technology, Urla, Izmir 35430, Turkey
| | - Haluk Kulah
- METU
MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey
- The
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
| | - H. Cumhur Tekin
- METU
MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey
- The
Department of Bioengineering, Izmir Institute
of Technology, Urla, Izmir 35430, Turkey
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10
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Guo W, Chen Z, Feng Z, Li H, Zhang M, Zhang H, Cui X. Fabrication of Concave Microwells and Their Applications in Micro-Tissue Engineering: A Review. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:mi13091555. [PMID: 36144178 PMCID: PMC9505614 DOI: 10.3390/mi13091555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
At present, there is an increasing need to mimic the in vivo micro-environment in the culture of cells and tissues in micro-tissue engineering. Concave microwells are becoming increasingly popular since they can provide a micro-environment that is closer to the in vivo environment compared to traditional microwells, which can facilitate the culture of cells and tissues. Here, we will summarize the fabrication methods of concave microwells, as well as their applications in micro-tissue engineering. The fabrication methods of concave microwells include traditional methods, such as lithography and etching, thermal reflow of photoresist, laser ablation, precision-computerized numerical control (CNC) milling, and emerging technologies, such as surface tension methods, the deformation of soft membranes, 3D printing, the molding of microbeads, air bubbles, and frozen droplets. The fabrication of concave microwells is transferring from professional microfabrication labs to common biochemical labs to facilitate their applications and provide convenience for users. Concave microwells have mostly been used in organ-on-a-chip models, including the formation and culture of 3D cell aggregates (spheroids, organoids, and embryoids). Researchers have also used microwells to study the influence of substrate topology on cellular behaviors. We will briefly review their applications in different aspects of micro-tissue engineering and discuss the further applications of concave microwells. We believe that building multiorgan-on-a-chip by 3D cell aggregates of different cell lines will be a popular application of concave microwells, while integrating physiologically relevant molecular analyses with the 3D culture platform will be another popular application in the near future. Furthermore, 3D cell aggregates from these biosystems will find more applications in drug screening and xenogeneic implantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weijin Guo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China
| | - Zejingqiu Chen
- Department of Biology, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China
| | - Zitao Feng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China
| | - Haonan Li
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China
| | - Muyang Zhang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China
| | - Huiru Zhang
- Guangdong Foshan Lianchuang Graduate School of Engineering, Foshan 528311, China
| | - Xin Cui
- Key Laboratory of Biomaterials of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China
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11
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Sandström N, Brandt L, Sandoz PA, Zambarda C, Guldevall K, Schulz-Ruhtenberg M, Rösener B, Krüger RA, Önfelt B. Live single cell imaging assays in glass microwells produced by laser-induced deep etching. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:2107-2121. [PMID: 35470832 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00090c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Miniaturization of cell culture substrates enables controlled analysis of living cells in confined micro-scale environments. This is particularly suitable for imaging individual cells over time, as they can be monitored without escaping the imaging field-of-view (FoV). Glass materials are ideal for most microscopy applications. However, with current methods used in life sciences, glass microfabrication is limited in terms of either freedom of design, quality, or throughput. In this work, we introduce laser-induced deep etching (LIDE) as a method for producing glass microwell arrays for live single cell imaging assays. We demonstrate novel microwell arrays with deep, high-aspect ratio wells that have rounded, dimpled or flat bottom profiles in either single-layer or double-layer glass chips. The microwells are evaluated for microscopy-based analysis of long-term cell culture, clonal expansion, laterally organized cell seeding, subcellular mechanics during migration and immune cell cytotoxicity assays of both adherent and suspension cells. It is shown that all types of microwells can support viable cell cultures and imaging with single cell resolution, and we highlight specific benefits of each microwell design for different applications. We believe that high-quality glass microwell arrays enabled by LIDE provide a great option for high-content and high-resolution imaging-based live cell assays with a broad range of potential applications within life sciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Sandström
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Ludwig Brandt
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Patrick A Sandoz
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Chiara Zambarda
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Karolin Guldevall
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | | | | | | | - Björn Önfelt
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Mehrotra AK, Soares JBP, Nandakumar K, Carreau PJ, Epstein N, Patience GS. A perspective on The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering commemorating its 100th volume: 1929‐2021. CAN J CHEM ENG 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/cjce.24418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anil K. Mehrotra
- Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering University of Calgary 2100 University Dr, NW Calgary Alberta Canada
| | - João B. P. Soares
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering University of Alberta 116 St & 85 Ave Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | | | - Pierre J. Carreau
- Department of Chemical Engineering Polytechnique Montréal 2500, chemin de Polytechnique, Montréal, H3C 3A7 Québec Canada
| | - Norman Epstein
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University of British Columbia Vancouver Campus 2360 East Mall British Columbia Canada
| | - Gregory S. Patience
- Department of Chemical Engineering Polytechnique Montréal 2500, chemin de Polytechnique, Montréal, H3C 3A7 Québec Canada
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Altay R, Yapici MK, Koşar A. A Hybrid Spiral Microfluidic Platform Coupled with Surface Acoustic Waves for Circulating Tumor Cell Sorting and Separation: A Numerical Study. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:bios12030171. [PMID: 35323441 PMCID: PMC8946654 DOI: 10.3390/bios12030171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The separation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples is crucial for the early diagnosis of cancer. During recent years, hybrid microfluidics platforms, consisting of both passive and active components, have been an emerging means for the label-free enrichment of circulating tumor cells due to their advantages such as multi-target cell processing with high efficiency and high sensitivity. In this study, spiral microchannels with different dimensions were coupled with surface acoustic waves (SAWs). Numerical simulations were conducted at different Reynolds numbers to analyze the performance of hybrid devices in the sorting and separation of CTCs from red blood cells (RBCs) and white blood cells (WBCs). Overall, in the first stage, the two-loop spiral microchannel structure allowed for the utilization of inertial forces for passive separation. In the second stage, SAWs were introduced to the device. Thus, five nodal pressure lines corresponding to the lateral position of the five outlets were generated. According to their physical properties, the cells were trapped and lined up on the corresponding nodal lines. The results showed that three different cell types (CTCs, RBCs, and WBCs) were successfully focused and collected from the different outlets of the microchannels by implementing the proposed multi-stage hybrid system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana Altay
- Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Istanbul 34956, Turkey; (R.A.); (M.K.Y.)
| | - Murat Kaya Yapici
- Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Istanbul 34956, Turkey; (R.A.); (M.K.Y.)
- Center of Excellence for Functional Surfaces and Interfaces for Nano-Diagnostics, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Istanbul 34956, Turkey
| | - Ali Koşar
- Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Istanbul 34956, Turkey; (R.A.); (M.K.Y.)
- Center of Excellence for Functional Surfaces and Interfaces for Nano-Diagnostics, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Istanbul 34956, Turkey
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He CK, Hsu CH. Microfluidic technology for multiple single-cell capture. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2021; 15:061501. [PMID: 34777676 PMCID: PMC8577867 DOI: 10.1063/5.0057685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic devices are widely used in single-cell capture and for pairing single cells or groups of cells for cell-cell interaction analysis; these advances have improved drug screening and cell signal transduction analysis. The complex in vivo environment involves interactions between two cells and among multiple cells of the same or different phenotypes. This study reviewed the core principles and performance of several microfluidic multiple- and single-cell capture methods, namely, the microwell, valve, trap, and droplet methods. The advantages and disadvantages of the methods were compared, and suggestions regarding their application to multiple-cell capture were provided. The results may serve as a reference for research on microfluidic multiple single-cell coculture technology.
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Abstract
Micropatterning encompasses a set of methods aimed at precisely controlling the spatial distribution of molecules onto the surface of materials. Biologists have borrowed the idea and adapted these methods, originally developed for electronics, to impose physical constraints on biological systems with the aim of addressing fundamental questions across biological scales from molecules to multicellular systems. Here, I approach this topic from a developmental biologist's perspective focusing specifically on how and why micropatterning has gained in popularity within the developmental biology community in recent years. Overall, this Primer provides a concise overview of how micropatterns are used to study developmental processes and emphasises how micropatterns are a useful addition to the developmental biologist's toolbox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Blin
- Institute for Regeneration and Repair, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, 5 Little France Drive, Edinburgh BioQuarter, Edinburgh EH16 4UU, UK
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Issue Highlights. CAN J CHEM ENG 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/cjce.23788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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