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Redwood-Sawyerr C, Howe G, Evans Theodore A, Nesbeth DN. Genetically Encoded Trensor Circuits Report HeLa Cell Treatment with Polyplexed Plasmid DNA and Small-Molecule Transfection Modulators. ACS Synth Biol 2024. [PMID: 39240234 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.4c00148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
HeLa cell transfection with plasmid DNA (pDNA) is widely used to materialize biologicals and as a preclinical test of nucleic acid-based vaccine efficacy. We sought to genetically encode mammalian transfection sensor (Trensor) circuits and test their utility in HeLa cells for detecting molecules and methods for their propensity to influence transfection. We intended these Trensor circuits to be triggered if their host cell was treated with polyplexed pDNA or certain small-molecule modulators of transfection. We prioritized three promoters, implicated by others in feedback responses as cells import and process foreign material and stably integrated each into the genomes of three different cell lines, each upstream of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) open reading frame within a transgene. All three Trensor circuits showed an increase in their GFP expression when their host HeLa cells were incubated with pDNA and the degraded polyamidoamine dendrimer reagent, SuperFect. We next experimentally demonstrated the modulation of PEI-mediated HeLa cell transient transfection by four different small molecules, with Trichostatin A (TSA) showing the greatest propensity to boost transgene expression. The Trensor circuit based on the TRA2B promoter (Trensor-T) was triggered by incubation with TSA alone and not the other three small molecules. These data suggest that mammalian reporter circuits could enable low-cost, high-throughput screening to identify novel transfection methods and reagents without the need to perform actual transfections requiring costly plasmids or expensive fluorescent labels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chileab Redwood-Sawyerr
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Bernard Katz Building, London WC1E 6BT, U.K
| | - Geoffrey Howe
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Bernard Katz Building, London WC1E 6BT, U.K
| | - Andalucia Evans Theodore
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Bernard Katz Building, London WC1E 6BT, U.K
| | - Darren N Nesbeth
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Bernard Katz Building, London WC1E 6BT, U.K
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Kim MG, Yu K, Yeh CY, Fouda R, Argueta D, Kiven S, Ni Y, Niu X, Chen Q, Kim K, Gupta K, He B. Low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound suppresses pain by modulating pain-processing brain circuits. Blood 2024; 144:1101-1115. [PMID: 38976875 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2023023718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT There is an urgent and unmet clinical need to develop nonpharmacological interventions for chronic pain management because of the critical side effects of opioids. Low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is an emerging noninvasive neuromodulation technology with high spatial specificity and deep brain penetration. Here, we developed a tightly focused 128-element ultrasound transducer to specifically target small mouse brains using dynamic focus steering. We demonstrate that tFUS stimulation at pain-processing brain circuits can significantly alter pain-associated behaviors in mouse models in vivo. Our findings indicate that a single-session focused ultrasound stimulation to the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) significantly attenuates heat pain sensitivity in wild-type mice and modulates heat and mechanical hyperalgesia in a humanized mouse model of chronic pain in sickle cell disease. Results further revealed a sustained behavioral change associated with heat hypersensitivity by targeting deeper cortical structures (eg, insula) and multisession focused ultrasound stimulation to S1 and insula. Analyses of brain electrical rhythms through electroencephalography demonstrated a significant change in noxious heat hypersensitivity-related and chronic hyperalgesia-associated neural signals after focused ultrasound treatment. Validation of efficacy was carried out through control experiments, tuning ultrasound parameters, adjusting interexperiment intervals, and investigating effects on age, sex, and genotype in a head-fixed awake model. Importantly, tFUS was found to be safe, causing no adverse effects on motor function or the brain's neuropathology. In conclusion, the validated proof-of-principle experimental evidence demonstrates the translational potential of novel focused ultrasound neuromodulation for next-generation pain treatment without adverse effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Gon Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Kai Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Chih-Yu Yeh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Raghda Fouda
- Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
| | - Donovan Argueta
- Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
| | - Stacy Kiven
- Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
| | - Yunruo Ni
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Xiaodan Niu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Qiyang Chen
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Kang Kim
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Kalpna Gupta
- Department of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
| | - Bin He
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
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Przystupski D, Ussowicz M. Landscape of Cellular Bioeffects Triggered by Ultrasound-Induced Sonoporation. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911222. [PMID: 36232532 PMCID: PMC9569453 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sonoporation is the process of transient pore formation in the cell membrane triggered by ultrasound (US). Numerous studies have provided us with firm evidence that sonoporation may assist cancer treatment through effective drug and gene delivery. However, there is a massive gap in the body of literature on the issue of understanding the complexity of biophysical and biochemical sonoporation-induced cellular effects. This study provides a detailed explanation of the US-triggered bioeffects, in particular, cell compartments and the internal environment of the cell, as well as the further consequences on cell reproduction and growth. Moreover, a detailed biophysical insight into US-provoked pore formation is presented. This study is expected to review the knowledge of cellular effects initiated by US-induced sonoporation and summarize the attempts at clinical implementation.
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Rich J, Tian Z, Huang TJ. Sonoporation: Past, Present, and Future. ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES 2022; 7:2100885. [PMID: 35399914 PMCID: PMC8992730 DOI: 10.1002/admt.202100885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
A surge of research in intracellular delivery technologies is underway with the increased innovations in cell-based therapies and cell reprogramming. Particularly, physical cell membrane permeabilization techniques are highlighted as the leading technologies because of their unique features, including versatility, independence of cargo properties, and high-throughput delivery that is critical for providing the desired cell quantity for cell-based therapies. Amongst the physical permeabilization methods, sonoporation holds great promise and has been demonstrated for delivering a variety of functional cargos, such as biomolecular drugs, proteins, and plasmids, to various cells including cancer, immune, and stem cells. However, traditional bubble-based sonoporation methods usually require special contrast agents. Bubble-based sonoporation methods also have high chances of inducing irreversible damage to critical cell components, lowering the cell viability, and reducing the effectiveness of delivered cargos. To overcome these limitations, several novel non-bubble-based sonoporation mechanisms are under development. This review will cover both the bubble-based and non-bubble-based sonoporation mechanisms being employed for intracellular delivery, the technologies being investigated to overcome the limitations of traditional platforms, as well as perspectives on the future sonoporation mechanisms, technologies, and applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Rich
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Zhenhua Tian
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, 39762, USA
| | - Tony Jun Huang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
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Kim MG, Yu K, Niu X, He B. Investigation of displacement of intracranial electrode induced by focused ultrasound stimulation. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT 2021; 70:9600509. [PMID: 34819696 PMCID: PMC8608250 DOI: 10.1109/tim.2021.3125978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is an emerging neuromodulation technique to modulate brain activity non-invasively with high spatial specificity and focality. Given the influence of tFUS on brain activity, combining tFUS with multi-channel intracranial electrophysiological recordings enables monitoring of the activity of large populations of neurons with high temporal resolution. However, the physical interactions between tFUS and the electrode may affect a reliable assessment of neuronal activity, which remains poorly understood. In this paper, high-frequency ultrasound (HFUS) system was developed and integrated into tFUS neuromodulation system. The performance of the HFUS-based displacement tracking and analysis was evaluated by the theoretical analysis in the literature. The effects of various pressure levels on the displacements of the silicon-based microelectrode array in ex vivo brain tissue were investigated. The developed approach was capable of tracking and measuring the motion of a solid sphere in a tissue-mimicking phantom and measured displacements were comparable to theoretical predictions. The significant changes in the averaged peak displacements of the microelectrode array in ex vivo brain were observed with a pulse duration of 200 μs and a peak-to-peak pressure from 131 kPa at a center frequency of 500 kHz compared with the values from the negative control group. The present results demonstrate the relationship between several pressure levels and displacements of the microelectrode array in ex vivo brain through the developed approach. This approach can be used to determine a vibration-free threshold of ultrasound parameters in multi-channel intracranial recordings for a reliable assessment of electrophysiological activities of living neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Gon Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Kai Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Xiaodan Niu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Bin He
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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Zhang N, Foiret J, Kheirolomoom A, Liu P, Feng Y, Tumbale S, Raie M, Wu B, Wang J, Fite BZ, Dai Z, Ferrara KW. Optimization of microbubble-based DNA vaccination with low-frequency ultrasound for enhanced cancer immunotherapy. ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS 2021; 4. [PMID: 34632048 DOI: 10.1002/adtp.202100033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy is an important cancer treatment strategy; nevertheless, the lack of robust immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment remains a factor in limiting patient response rates. In vivo gene delivery protocols can amplify immune responses and sensitize tumors to immunotherapies, yet non-viral transfection methods often sacrifice transduction efficiency for improved safety tolerance. To improve transduction efficiency, we optimized a strategy employing low ultrasound transmission frequency-induced bubble oscillation to introduce plasmids into tumor cells. Differential centrifugation isolated size-specific microbubbles. The diameter of the small microbubble population was 1.27 ± 0.89 μm and that of larger population was 4.23 ± 2.27 μm. Upon in vitro insonation with the larger microbubble population, 29.7% of cancer cells were transfected with DNA plasmids, higher than that with smaller microbubbles (18.9%, P <0.05) or positive control treatments with a commercial transfection reagent (12%, P < 0.01). After 48 h, gene expression increased more than two-fold in tumors treated with large, as compared with small, microbubbles. Furthermore, the immune response, including tumor infiltration of CD8+ T cells and F4/80+ macrophages, was enhanced. We believe that this safe and efficacious method can improve preclinical procedures and outcomes for DNA vaccines in cancer immunotherapy in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisi Zhang
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Josquin Foiret
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | | | - Pei Liu
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Yi Feng
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Spencer Tumbale
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Marina Raie
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Bo Wu
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - James Wang
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Brett Z Fite
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Zhifei Dai
- Department of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
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Kim S, Moon S, Rho S, Yoon S. Measurements of acoustic radiation force of ultrahigh frequency ultrasonic transducers using model-based approach. APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 2021; 118:184102. [PMID: 33981116 PMCID: PMC8096457 DOI: 10.1063/5.0044512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Even though ultrahigh frequency ultrasonic transducers over 60 MHz have been used for single-cell-level manipulation such as intracellular delivery, acoustic tweezers, and stimulation to investigate cell phenotype and cell mechanics, no techniques have been available to measure the actual acoustic radiation force (ARF) applied to target cells. Therefore, we have developed an approach to measure the ARF of ultrahigh frequency ultrasonic transducers using a theoretical model of the dynamics of a solid sphere in a gelatin phantom. To estimate ARF at the focus of a 130 MHz transducer, we matched measured maximum displacements of a solid sphere with theoretical calculations. We selected appropriate ranges of input voltages and pulse durations for single-cell applications, and the estimated ARF was in the range of tens of μN. To gauge the influence of pulse duration, an impulse of different pulse durations was estimated. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer live cell imaging was demonstrated to visualize calcium transport between cells after a target single cell was stimulated by the developed ultrasonic transducer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Sangpil Yoon
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: . Tel.: +1-514-631‐6510
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Liu Q, Chen K, Hu J, Morita T. An Ultrasonic Tweezer With Multiple Manipulation Functions Based on the Double-Parabolic-Reflector Wave-Guided High-Power Ultrasonic Transducer. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ULTRASONICS, FERROELECTRICS, AND FREQUENCY CONTROL 2020; 67:2471-2474. [PMID: 32755855 DOI: 10.1109/tuffc.2020.3014352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The development of ultrasonic tweezers with multiple manipulation functions is challenging. In this work, multiple advanced manipulation functions are implemented for a single-probe-type ultrasonic tweezer with the double-parabolic-reflector wave-guided high-power ultrasonic transducer (DPLUS). Due to strong high-frequency (1.49 MHz) linear vibration at the manipulation probe's tip, which is excited by the DPLUS, the ultrasonic tweezer can capture microobjects in a noncontact mode and transport them freely above the substrate. The captured microobjects that adhere to the probe's tip in the low-frequency (154.4 kHz) working mode can be released by tuning the working frequency. The results of the finite-element method analyses indicate that the manipulations are caused by the acoustic radiation force.
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Liu Q, Hu J, Minin IV, Minin OV. High-Performance Ultrasonic Tweezers for Manipulation of Motile and Still Single Cells in a Droplet. ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY 2019; 45:3018-3027. [PMID: 31481255 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2019.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The manipulation of motile and still single cells with the simultaneous features of selective trapping, 3-D path free transport, position-controllable release and little heat damage has been a significant challenge. We developed an ultrasonic method for capturing motile and still single cells with the aforementioned features in a droplet. During manipulation, a micromanipulation probe (MMP), which vibrated linearly with a trajectory parallel to a silicon substrate, was immersed in the droplet and was not in contact with the substrate. Motile and still single cells, such as Chattonella marina with a length of 30-50 μm and yeast cells with a diameter of 3-10 μm, at the interface between the droplet and substrate were selectively sucked onto the vibrating MMP and transported via a 3-D route inside the droplet by moving the MMP (or the device). The MMP and captured single cells were in contact, making the release position controllable. The measured temperature rise of the MMP was <0.1°C; thus, it is competitive for the manipulation of biological samples. Finite-element analyses revealed that the contact-type capture was due to acoustic radiation force generated by the ultrasonic field around the vibrating MMP. The dependence of the capture capability and working frequency bandwidth on the working conditions was investigated experimentally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
| | - Junhui Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China.
| | - Igor V Minin
- Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia; Tomsk Polytechnical University, Tomsk, Russia
| | - Oleg V Minin
- Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia; Tomsk Polytechnical University, Tomsk, Russia
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Yu J, Chen Z, Yan F. Advances in mechanism studies on ultrasonic gene delivery at cellular level. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 142:1-9. [PMID: 30031881 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2018.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 07/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Ultrasound provides a means for intracellular gene delivery, contributing to a noninvasive and spatiotemporally controllable strategy suitable for clinical applications. Many studies have been done to provide mechanisms of ultrasound-mediated gene delivery at the cellular level. This review summarizes the studies on the important aspects of the mechanisms, providing an overview of recent progress in cellular experiment of ultrasound-mediated gene delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsui Yu
- Department of Ultrasound Medicine, Laboratory of Ultrasound Molecular Imaging, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510150, PR China
| | - Zhiyi Chen
- Department of Ultrasound Medicine, Laboratory of Ultrasound Molecular Imaging, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510150, PR China.
| | - Fei Yan
- Paul C. Lauterbur Research Center for Biomedical Imaging, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China.
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