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Orabi M, Lo JF. Emerging Advances in Microfluidic Hydrogel Droplets for Tissue Engineering and STEM Cell Mechanobiology. Gels 2023; 9:790. [PMID: 37888363 PMCID: PMC10606214 DOI: 10.3390/gels9100790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Hydrogel droplets are biodegradable and biocompatible materials with promising applications in tissue engineering, cell encapsulation, and clinical treatments. They represent a well-controlled microstructure to bridge the spatial divide between two-dimensional cell cultures and three-dimensional tissues, toward the recreation of entire organs. The applications of hydrogel droplets in regenerative medicine require a thorough understanding of microfluidic techniques, the biocompatibility of hydrogel materials, and droplet production and manipulation mechanisms. Although hydrogel droplets were well studied, several emerging advances promise to extend current applications to tissue engineering and beyond. Hydrogel droplets can be designed with high surface-to-volume ratios and a variety of matrix microstructures. Microfluidics provides precise control of the flow patterns required for droplet generation, leading to tight distributions of particle size, shape, matrix, and mechanical properties in the resultant microparticles. This review focuses on recent advances in microfluidic hydrogel droplet generation. First, the theoretical principles of microfluidics, materials used in fabrication, and new 3D fabrication techniques were discussed. Then, the hydrogels used in droplet generation and their cell and tissue engineering applications were reviewed. Finally, droplet generation mechanisms were addressed, such as droplet production, droplet manipulation, and surfactants used to prevent coalescence. Lastly, we propose that microfluidic hydrogel droplets can enable novel shear-related tissue engineering and regeneration studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joe F. Lo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, MI 48128, USA;
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2
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Duan K, Zhou M, Wang Y, Oberholzer J, Lo JF. Visualizing hypoxic modulation of beta cell secretions via a sensor augmented oxygen gradient. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2023; 9:14. [PMID: 36760229 PMCID: PMC9902275 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-022-00482-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
One distinct advantage of microfluidic-based cell assays is their scalability for multiple concentrations or gradients. Microfluidic scaling can be extremely powerful when combining multiple parameters and modalities. Moreover, in situ stimulation and detection eliminates variability between individual bioassays. However, conventional microfluidics must combat diffusion, which limits the spatial distance and time for molecules traveling through microchannels. Here, we leveraged a multilayered microfluidic approach to integrate a novel oxygen gradient (0-20%) with an enhanced hydrogel sensor to study pancreatic beta cells. This enabled our microfluidics to achieve spatiotemporal detection that is difficult to achieve with traditional microfluidics. Using this device, we demonstrated the in situ detection of calcium, insulin, and ATP (adenosine triphosphate) in response to glucose and oxygen stimulation. Specifically, insulin was quantified at levels as low as 25 pg/mL using our imaging technique. Furthermore, by analyzing the spatial detection data dynamically over time, we uncovered a new relationship between oxygen and beta cell oscillations. We observed an optimum oxygen level between 10 and 12%, which is neither hypoxic nor normoxic in the conventional cell culture sense. These results provide evidence to support the current islet oscillator model. In future applications, this spatial microfluidic technique can be adapted for discrete protein detection in a robust platform to study numerous oxygen-dependent tissue dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Duan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering Program, University of Michigan at Dearborn, Dearborn, MI 48128 USA
| | - Mengyang Zhou
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering Program, University of Michigan at Dearborn, Dearborn, MI 48128 USA
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908 USA
| | - Jose Oberholzer
- Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908 USA
| | - Joe F. Lo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering Program, University of Michigan at Dearborn, Dearborn, MI 48128 USA
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3
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The ischaemic preconditioning paradox and its implications for islet isolation from heart-beating and non heart-beating donors. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19321. [PMID: 36369239 PMCID: PMC9652462 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23862-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The impact of ischaemia can severely damage procured donor organs for transplantation. The pancreas, and pancreatic islets in particular, is one of the most sensitive tissues towards hypoxia. The present study was aimed to assess the effect of hypoxic preconditioning (HP) performed ex-vivo in islets isolated from heart-beating donor (HBD) and non heart-beating donor (NHBD) rats. After HP purified islets were cultured for 24 h in hypoxia followed by islet characterisation. Post-culture islet yields were significantly lower in sham-treated NHBD than in HBD. This difference was reduced when NHBD islets were preconditioned. Similar results were observed regarding viability, apoptosis and in vitro function. Reactive oxygen species generation after hypoxic culture was significantly enhanced in sham-treated NHBD than in HBD islets. Again, this difference could be diminished through HP. qRT-PCR revealed that HP decreases pro-apoptotic genes but increases HIF-1 and VEGF. However, the extent of reduction and augmentation was always substantially higher in preconditioned NHBD than in HBD islets. Our findings indicate a lower benefit of HBD islets from HP than NHBD islets. The ischaemic preconditioning paradox suggests that HP should be primarily applied to islets from marginal donors. This observation needs evaluation in human islets.
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Tornberg K, Välimäki H, Valaskivi S, Mäki AJ, Jokinen M, Kreutzer J, Kallio P. Compartmentalized organ-on-a-chip structure for spatiotemporal control of oxygen microenvironments. Biomed Microdevices 2022; 24:34. [PMID: 36269438 DOI: 10.1007/s10544-022-00634-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Hypoxia is a condition where tissue oxygen levels fall below normal levels. In locally induced hypoxia due to blood vessel blockage, oxygen delivery becomes compromised. The site where blood flow is diminished the most forms a zero-oxygen core, and different oxygenation zones form around this core with varying oxygen concentrations. Naturally, these differing oxygen microenvironments drive cells to respond according to their oxygenation status. To study these cellular processes in laboratory settings, the cellular gas microenvironments should be controlled rapidly and precisely. In this study, we propose an organ-on-a-chip device that provides control over the oxygen environments in three separate compartments as well as the possibility of rapidly changing the corresponding oxygen concentrations. The proposed device includes a microfluidic channel structure with three separate arrays of narrow microchannels that guide gas mixtures with desired oxygen concentrations to diffuse through a thin gas-permeable membrane into cell culture areas. The proposed microfluidic channel structure is characterized using a 2D ratiometric oxygen imaging system, and the measurements confirm that the oxygen concentrations at the cell culture surface can be modulated in a few minutes. The structure is capable of creating hypoxic oxygen tension, and distinct oxygen environments can be generated simultaneously in the three compartments. By combining the microfluidic channel structure with an open-well coculture device, multicellular cultures can be established together with compartmentalized oxygen environment modulation. We demonstrate that the proposed compartmentalized organ-on-a-chip structure is suitable for cell culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaisa Tornberg
- Micro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33720, Tampere, Finland.
| | - Hannu Välimäki
- Micro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33720, Tampere, Finland
| | - Silmu Valaskivi
- Micro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33720, Tampere, Finland
| | - Antti-Juhana Mäki
- Micro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33720, Tampere, Finland
| | - Matias Jokinen
- Micro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33720, Tampere, Finland
| | - Joose Kreutzer
- Micro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33720, Tampere, Finland
| | - Pasi Kallio
- Micro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33720, Tampere, Finland
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5
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Jeyagaran A, Lu CE, Zbinden A, Birkenfeld AL, Brucker SY, Layland SL. Type 1 diabetes and engineering enhanced islet transplantation. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 189:114481. [PMID: 36002043 PMCID: PMC9531713 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The development of new therapeutic approaches to treat type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) relies on the precise understanding and deciphering of insulin-secreting β-cell biology, as well as the mechanisms responsible for their autoimmune destruction. β-cell or islet transplantation is viewed as a potential long-term therapy for the millions of patients with diabetes. To advance the field of insulin-secreting cell transplantation, two main research areas are currently investigated by the scientific community: (1) the identification of the developmental pathways that drive the differentiation of stem cells into insulin-producing cells, providing an inexhaustible source of cells; and (2) transplantation strategies and engineered transplants to provide protection and enhance the functionality of transplanted cells. In this review, we discuss the biology of pancreatic β-cells, pathology of T1D and current state of β-cell differentiation. We give a comprehensive view and discuss the different possibilities to engineer enhanced insulin-secreting cell/islet transplantation from a translational perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abiramy Jeyagaran
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department for Medical Technologies and Regenerative Medicine, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany,NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University Tübingen, 72770 Reutlingen, Germany
| | - Chuan-en Lu
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department for Medical Technologies and Regenerative Medicine, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Aline Zbinden
- Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Andreas L. Birkenfeld
- Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany,Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University of Tübingen, German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), Munich, Germany
| | - Sara Y. Brucker
- Department of Women's Health, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Shannon L. Layland
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department for Medical Technologies and Regenerative Medicine, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany,Department of Women's Health, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany,Corresponding author at: Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department for Medical Technologies and Regenerative Medicine, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Silcherstrasse 7/1, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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Patel SN, Mathews CE, Chandler R, Stabler CL. The Foundation for Engineering a Pancreatic Islet Niche. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:881525. [PMID: 35600597 PMCID: PMC9114707 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.881525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Progress in diabetes research is hindered, in part, by deficiencies in current experimental systems to accurately model human pathophysiology and/or predict clinical outcomes. Engineering human-centric platforms that more closely mimic in vivo physiology, however, requires thoughtful and informed design. Summarizing our contemporary understanding of the unique and critical features of the pancreatic islet can inform engineering design criteria. Furthermore, a broad understanding of conventional experimental practices and their current advantages and limitations ensures that new models address key gaps. Improving beyond traditional cell culture, emerging platforms are combining diabetes-relevant cells within three-dimensional niches containing dynamic matrices and controlled fluidic flow. While highly promising, islet-on-a-chip prototypes must evolve their utility, adaptability, and adoptability to ensure broad and reproducible use. Here we propose a roadmap for engineers to craft biorelevant and accessible diabetes models. Concurrently, we seek to inspire biologists to leverage such tools to ask complex and nuanced questions. The progenies of such diabetes models should ultimately enable investigators to translate ambitious research expeditions from benchtop to the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smit N. Patel
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Clayton E. Mathews
- Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Rachel Chandler
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Cherie L. Stabler
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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7
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Palacio-Castañeda V, Velthuijs N, Le Gac S, Verdurmen WPR. Oxygen control: the often overlooked but essential piece to create better in vitro systems. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:1068-1092. [PMID: 35084420 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc00603g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Variations in oxygen levels play key roles in numerous physiological and pathological processes, but are often not properly controlled in in vitro models, introducing a significant bias in experimental outcomes. Recent developments in microfluidic technology have introduced a paradigm shift by providing new opportunities to better mimic physiological and pathological conditions, which is achieved by both regulating and monitoring oxygen levels at the micrometre scale in miniaturized devices. In this review, we first introduce the nature and relevance of oxygen-dependent pathways in both physiological and pathological contexts. Subsequently, we discuss strategies to control oxygen in microfluidic devices, distinguishing between engineering approaches that operate at the device level during its fabrication and chemical approaches that involve the active perfusion of fluids oxygenated at a precise level or supplemented with oxygen-producing or oxygen-scavenging materials. In addition, we discuss readout approaches for monitoring oxygen levels at the cellular and tissue levels, focusing on electrochemical and optical detection schemes for high-resolution measurements directly on-chip. An overview of different applications in which microfluidic devices have been utilized to answer biological research questions is then provided. In the final section, we provide our vision for further technological refinements of oxygen-controlling devices and discuss how these devices can be employed to generate new fundamental insights regarding key scientific problems that call for emulating oxygen levels as encountered in vivo. We conclude by making the case that ultimately emulating physiological or pathological oxygen levels should become a standard feature in all in vitro cell, tissue, and organ models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Palacio-Castañeda
- Department of Biochemistry, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Niels Velthuijs
- Department of Biochemistry, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Séverine Le Gac
- Applied Microfluidics for BioEngineering Research, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology & TechMed Centre, Organ-on-a-chip Centre, University of Twente, Postbus 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
| | - Wouter P R Verdurmen
- Department of Biochemistry, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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8
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Yu X, Xing Y, Zhang Y, Zhang P, He Y, Ghamsari F, Ramasubramanian MK, Wang Y, Ai H, Oberholzer J. Smartphone-microfluidic fluorescence imaging system for studying islet physiology. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:1039912. [PMID: 36440196 PMCID: PMC9684609 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1039912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Smartphone technology has been recently applied for biomedical image acquisition and data analysis due to its high-quality imaging capability, and flexibility to customize multi-purpose apps. In this work, we developed and characterized a smartphone-microfluidic fluorescence imaging system for studying the physiology of pancreatic islets. We further evaluated the system capability by performing real-time fluorescence imaging on mouse islets labeled with either chemical fluorescence dyes or genetically encoded fluorescent protein indicators (GEFPIs). Our results showed that the system was capable of analyzing key beta-cell insulin stimulator-release coupling factors in response to various stimuli with high-resolution dynamics. Furthermore, the integration of a microfluidics allowed high-resolution detection of insulin secretion at single islet level. When compared to conventional fluorescence microscopes and macro islet perifusion apparatus, the system has the advantages of low cost, portable, and easy to operate. With all of these features, we envision that this smartphone-microfluidic fluorescence imaging system can be applied to study islet physiology and clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyu Yu
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Yuan Xing
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Yiyu Zhang
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, and Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Pu Zhang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Yi He
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Farid Ghamsari
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Melur K. Ramasubramanian
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Huiwang Ai
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, and Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Jose Oberholzer
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
- *Correspondence: Jose Oberholzer,
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9
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Kim M, Jang J. Construction of 3D hierarchical tissue platforms for modeling diabetes. APL Bioeng 2021; 5:041506. [PMID: 34703970 PMCID: PMC8530538 DOI: 10.1063/5.0055128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most serious systemic diseases worldwide, and the majority of DM patients face severe complications. However, many of underlying disease mechanisms related to these complications are difficult to understand with the use of currently available animal models. With the urgent need to fundamentally understand DM pathology, a variety of 3D biomimetic platforms have been generated by the convergence of biofabrication and tissue engineering strategies for the potent drug screening platform of pre-clinical research. Here, we suggest key requirements for the fabrication of physiomimetic tissue models in terms of recapitulating the cellular organization, creating native 3D microenvironmental niches for targeted tissue using biomaterials, and applying biofabrication technologies to implement tissue-specific geometries. We also provide an overview of various in vitro DM models, from a cellular level to complex living systems, which have been developed using various bioengineering approaches. Moreover, we aim to discuss the roadblocks facing in vitro tissue models and end with an outlook for future DM research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myungji Kim
- School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, POSTECH, 77 Cheongam-ro, Namgu, Pohang, Kyungbuk, 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinah Jang
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed:
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10
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Wu Jin P, Rousset N, Hierlemann A, Misun PM. A Microfluidic Hanging-Drop-Based Islet Perifusion System for Studying Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion From Multiple Individual Pancreatic Islets. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:674431. [PMID: 34055765 PMCID: PMC8149801 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.674431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Islet perifusion systems can be used to monitor the highly dynamic insulin release of pancreatic islets in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) assays. Here, we present a new generation of the microfluidic hanging-drop-based islet perifusion platform that was developed to study the alterations in insulin secretion dynamics from single pancreatic islet microtissues at high temporal resolution. The platform was completely redesigned to increase experimental throughput and to reduce operational complexity. The experimental throughput was increased fourfold by implementing a network of interconnected hanging drops, which allows for performing GSIS assays with four individual islet microtissues in parallel with a sampling interval of 30 s. We introduced a self-regulating drop-height mechanism that enables continuous flow and maintains a constant liquid volume in the chip, which enables simple and robust operation. Upon glucose stimulation, reproducible biphasic insulin release was simultaneously observed from all islets in the system. The measured insulin concentrations showed low sample-to-sample variation as a consequence of precise liquid handling with stable drop volumes, equal flow rates in the channels, and accurately controlled sampling volumes in all four drops. The presented device will be a valuable tool in islet and diabetes research for studying dynamic insulin secretion from individual pancreatic islets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andreas Hierlemann
- Bio Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Patrick M. Misun
- Bio Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
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11
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Saleheen A, Acharyya D, Prosser RA, Baker CA. A microfluidic bubble perfusion device for brain slice culture. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2021; 13:1364-1373. [PMID: 33644791 DOI: 10.1039/d0ay02291h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Ex vivo brain slice cultures are utilized as analytical models for studying neurophysiology. Common approaches to maintaining slice cultures include roller tube and membrane interface techniques. The rise of organ-on-chip technologies has demonstrated the value of microfluidic perfusion culture systems for sampling and analysis of complex biology under well-controlled in vitro or ex vivo conditions. A number of approaches to microfluidic brain slice culture have been developed, however these typically involve complex design, fabrication, or operational parameters in order to meet the high oxygen demands of brain slices. Here, we present proof-of-principle for a novel approach to microfluidic brain slice culture. In this system, which we term a microfluidic bubble perfusion device, principles of droplet microfluidics were employed to generate droplets of perfusion media dispersed between bubbles of carbogen gas, and brain tissue slices were perfused with the resulting monodispersed droplets and bubbles. The challenge of tissue immobilization in the flow system was addressed using a two-part cytocompatible carbohydrate-based tissue adhesive. Best practices are discussed for perfusion chamber designs that maintain segmented flow throughout the course of perfusion. Control of droplet and bubble volumes was possible across the range of ca. 4-15 μL, bubble generation frequency was well controlled in the range ca. 1-7 bubbles per min, and bubble duty cycle was well controlled across the range ca. 20-80%. Murine hypothalamic tissue slices containing the suprachiasmatic nuclei were successfully maintained for durations of 8-10 hours, with tissue remaining viable for the duration of perfusion as assessed by Ca2+ imaging and propidium iodide (PI) staining.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amirus Saleheen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
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12
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Glieberman AL, Pope BD, Melton DA, Parker KK. Building Biomimetic Potency Tests for Islet Transplantation. Diabetes 2021; 70:347-363. [PMID: 33472944 PMCID: PMC7881865 DOI: 10.2337/db20-0297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Diabetes is a disease of insulin insufficiency, requiring many to rely on exogenous insulin with constant monitoring to avoid a fatal outcome. Islet transplantation is a recent therapy that can provide insulin independence, but the procedure is still limited by both the availability of human islets and reliable tests to assess their function. While stem cell technologies are poised to fill the shortage of transplantable cells, better methods are still needed for predicting transplantation outcome. To ensure islet quality, we propose that the next generation of islet potency tests should be biomimetic systems that match glucose stimulation dynamics and cell microenvironmental preferences and rapidly assess conditional and continuous insulin secretion with minimal manual handing. Here, we review the current approaches for islet potency testing and outline technologies and methods that can be used to arrive at a more predictive potency test that tracks islet secretory capacity in a relevant context. With the development of potency tests that can report on islet secretion dynamics in a context relevant to their intended function, islet transplantation can expand into a more widely accessible and reliable treatment option for individuals with diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron L Glieberman
- Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
| | - Benjamin D Pope
- Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
| | - Douglas A Melton
- Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Cambridge, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA
| | - Kevin Kit Parker
- Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA
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13
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Misun PM, Yesildag B, Forschler F, Neelakandhan A, Rousset N, Biernath A, Hierlemann A, Frey O. In Vitro Platform for Studying Human Insulin Release Dynamics of Single Pancreatic Islet Microtissues at High Resolution. ADVANCED BIOSYSTEMS 2020; 4:e1900291. [PMID: 32293140 PMCID: PMC7610574 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.201900291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Insulin is released from pancreatic islets in a biphasic and pulsatile manner in response to elevated glucose levels. This highly dynamic insulin release can be studied in vitro with islet perifusion assays. Herein, a novel platform to perform glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) assays with single islets is presented for studying the dynamics of insulin release at high temporal resolution. A standardized human islet model is developed and a microfluidic hanging-drop-based perifusion system is engineered, which facilitates rapid glucose switching, minimal sample dilution, low analyte dispersion, and short sampling intervals. Human islet microtissues feature robust and long-term glucose responsiveness and demonstrate reproducible dynamic GSIS with a prominent first phase and a sustained, pulsatile second phase. Perifusion of single islet microtissues produces a higher peak secretion rate, higher secretion during the first and second phases of insulin release, as well as more defined pulsations during the second phase in comparison to perifusion of pooled islets. The developed platform enables to study compound effects on both phases of insulin secretion as shown with two classes of insulin secretagogs. It provides a new tool for studying physiologically relevant dynamic insulin secretion at comparably low sample-to-sample variation and high temporal resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick M. Misun
- Bio Engineering Laboratory Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering ETH Zürich Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Felix Forschler
- Bio Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Nassim Rousset
- Bio Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Andreas Hierlemann
- Bio Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Mattenstrasse 26, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Frey
- InSphero AG Wagistrasse 27, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
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14
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Pavlacky J, Polak J. Technical Feasibility and Physiological Relevance of Hypoxic Cell Culture Models. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:57. [PMID: 32153502 PMCID: PMC7046623 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hypoxia is characterized as insufficient oxygen delivery to tissues and cells in the body and is prevalent in many human physiology processes and diseases. Thus, it is an attractive state to experimentally study to understand its inner mechanisms as well as to develop and test therapies against pathological conditions related to hypoxia. Animal models in vivo fail to recapitulate some of the key hallmarks of human physiology, which leads to human cell cultures; however, they are prone to bias, namely when pericellular oxygen concentration (partial pressure) does not respect oxygen dynamics in vivo. A search of the current literature on the topic revealed this was the case for many original studies pertaining to experimental models of hypoxia in vitro. Therefore, in this review, we present evidence mandating for the close control of oxygen levels in cell culture models of hypoxia. First, we discuss the basic physical laws required for understanding the oxygen dynamics in vitro, most notably the limited diffusion through a liquid medium that hampers the oxygenation of cells in conventional cultures. We then summarize up-to-date knowledge of techniques that help standardize the culture environment in a replicable fashion by increasing oxygen delivery to the cells and measuring pericellular levels. We also discuss how these tools may be applied to model both constant and intermittent hypoxia in a physiologically relevant manner, considering known values of partial pressure of tissue normoxia and hypoxia in vivo, compared to conventional cultures incubated at rigid oxygen pressure. Attention is given to the potential influence of three-dimensional tissue cultures and hypercapnia management on these models. Finally, we discuss the implications of these concepts for cell cultures, which try to emulate tissue normoxia, and conclude that the maintenance of precise oxygen levels is important in any cell culture setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiri Pavlacky
- Department of Pathophysiology, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
- Rare Diseases Research Unit, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Jan Polak
- Department of Pathophysiology, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
- *Correspondence: Jan Polak
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15
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Grist SM, Nasseri SS, Laplatine L, Schmok JC, Yao D, Hua J, Chrostowski L, Cheung KC. Long-term monitoring in a microfluidic system to study tumour spheroid response to chronic and cycling hypoxia. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17782. [PMID: 31780697 PMCID: PMC6883080 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54001-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We demonstrate the application of a microfluidic platform combining spatiotemporal oxygen control and long-term microscopy monitoring to observe tumour spheroid response to hypoxia. The platform is capable of recreating physiologically-relevant low and cycling oxygen levels not attainable in traditional cell culture environments, while image-based monitoring visualizes cell response to these physiologically-relevant conditions. Monitoring spheroid cultures during hypoxic exposure allows us to observe, for the first time, that spheroids swell and shrink in response to time-varying oxygen profiles switching between 0% and 10% O2; this swelling-shrinkage behaviour appears to be driven by swelling of individual cells within the spheroids. We also apply the system to monitoring tumour models during anticancer treatment under varying oxygen conditions. We observe higher uptake of the anticancer agent doxorubicin under a cycling hypoxia profile than under either chronic hypoxia or in vitro normoxia, and the two-photon microscopy monitoring facilitated by our system also allows us to observe heterogeneity in doxorubicin uptake within spheroids at the single-cell level. Combining optical sectioning microscopy with precise spatiotemporal oxygen control and 3D culture opens the door for a wide range of future studies on microenvironmental mechanisms driving cancer progression and resistance to anticancer therapy. These types of studies could facilitate future improvements in cancer diagnostics and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M Grist
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
| | - S Soroush Nasseri
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Loïc Laplatine
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jonathan C Schmok
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Dickson Yao
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jessica Hua
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Lukas Chrostowski
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Karen C Cheung
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
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16
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Jun Y, Lee J, Choi S, Yang JH, Sander M, Chung S, Lee SH. In vivo-mimicking microfluidic perfusion culture of pancreatic islet spheroids. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaax4520. [PMID: 31807701 PMCID: PMC6881167 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax4520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Native pancreatic islets interact with neighboring cells by establishing three-dimensional (3D) structures, and are surrounded by perfusion at an interstitial flow level. However, flow effects are generally ignored in islet culture models, although cell perfusion is known to improve the cell microenvironment and to mimic in vivo physiology better than static culture systems. Here, we have developed functional islet spheroids using a microfluidic chip that mimics interstitial flow conditions with reduced shear cell damage. Dynamic culture, compared to static culture, enhanced islet health and maintenance of islet endothelial cells, reconstituting the main component of islet extracellular matrix within spheroids. Optimized flow condition allowed localization of secreted soluble factors near spheroids, facilitating diffusion-mediated paracrine interactions within islets, and enabled long-term maintenance of islet morphology and function for a month. The proposed model can aid islet preconditioning before transplantation and has potential applications as an in vitro model for diabetic drug testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yesl Jun
- Departments of Pediatrics and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Pediatric Diabetes Research Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - JaeSeo Lee
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Seongkyun Choi
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Hun Yang
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
- Next & Bio Inc., Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Maike Sander
- Departments of Pediatrics and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Pediatric Diabetes Research Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Seok Chung
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Hoon Lee
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
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17
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Glieberman AL, Pope BD, Zimmerman JF, Liu Q, Ferrier JP, Kenty JHR, Schrell AM, Mukhitov N, Shores KL, Tepole AB, Melton DA, Roper MG, Parker KK. Synchronized stimulation and continuous insulin sensing in a microfluidic human Islet on a Chip designed for scalable manufacturing. LAB ON A CHIP 2019; 19:2993-3010. [PMID: 31464325 PMCID: PMC6814249 DOI: 10.1039/c9lc00253g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic β cell function is compromised in diabetes and is typically assessed by measuring insulin secretion during glucose stimulation. Traditionally, measurement of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion involves manual liquid handling, heterogeneous stimulus delivery, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays that require large numbers of islets and processing time. Though microfluidic devices have been developed to address some of these limitations, traditional methods for islet testing remain the most common due to the learning curve for adopting microfluidic devices and the incompatibility of most device materials with large-scale manufacturing. We designed and built a thermoplastic, microfluidic-based Islet on a Chip compatible with commercial fabrication methods, that automates islet loading, stimulation, and insulin sensing. Inspired by the perfusion of native islets by designated arterioles and capillaries, the chip delivers synchronized glucose pulses to islets positioned in parallel channels. By flowing suspensions of human cadaveric islets onto the chip, we confirmed automatic capture of islets. Fluorescent glucose tracking demonstrated that stimulus delivery was synchronized within a two-minute window independent of the presence or size of captured islets. Insulin secretion was continuously sensed by an automated, on-chip immunoassay and quantified by fluorescence anisotropy. By integrating scalable manufacturing materials, on-line, continuous insulin measurement, and precise spatiotemporal stimulation into an easy-to-use design, the Islet on a Chip should accelerate efforts to study and develop effective treatments for diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron L Glieberman
- Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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18
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Becker MW, Simonovich JA, Phelps EA. Engineered microenvironments and microdevices for modeling the pathophysiology of type 1 diabetes. Biomaterials 2019; 198:49-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2018] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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19
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Dai J, Xing Y, Xiao L, Li J, Cao R, He Y, Fang H, Periasamy A, Oberhozler J, Jin L, Landers JP, Wang Y, Li X. Microfluidic Disc-on-a-Chip Device for Mouse Intervertebral Disc-Pitching a Next-Generation Research Platform To Study Disc Degeneration. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2019; 5:2041-2051. [PMID: 31763444 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.8b01522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Low back pain is the most common cause of disability worldwide, and intervertebral disc degeneration is a major cause of low back pain. Unfortunately, discogenic low back pain is often treated with symptomatic relief interventions, as no disease-modifying medications are yet available. Both to-be-deciphered disc biology/pathology and inadequate in vitro research platform are major hurdles limiting drug discovery progress for disc degeneration. Here, we developed a microfluidic disc-on-a-chip device tailored for mouse disc organ as an in vitro research platform. We hypothesize that continuous nutrients empowered by a microfluidic device would improve biological performance of cultured mouse discs compared to those in static condition. This device permitted continuous media flow to mimic in vivo disc microenvironment. Intriguingly, mouse discs cultured on the microfluidic device exhibited much higher cell viability, better preserved structure integrity and anabolic-catabolic metabolism in both nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus, for up to 21 days compared to those in static culture. This first "disc-on-a-chip" device lays groundwork for future preclinical studies in a relative long-term organ culture given the chronic nature of intervertebral disc degeneration. In addition, this platform is readily transformable into a streamlined in vitro research platform to recapitulate physiological and pathophysiological microenvironment to accelerate disc research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Dai
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia, 135 Hospital Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States.,Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue Qiaokou District, Wuhan 430030, P.R. China
| | - Yuan Xing
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, 345 Cripell Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States
| | - Li Xiao
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia, 135 Hospital Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States
| | - Jingyi Li
- ∥ Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, 409 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Ruofan Cao
- W.M. Keck Center for Cellular Imaging, University of Virginia, 90 Geldard Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Yi He
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, 345 Cripell Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States
| | - Huang Fang
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Avenue Qiaokou District, Wuhan 430030, P.R. China
| | - Ammasi Periasamy
- W.M. Keck Center for Cellular Imaging, University of Virginia, 90 Geldard Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States
| | - Jose Oberhozler
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, 345 Cripell Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States
| | - Li Jin
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia, 135 Hospital Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States
| | - James P Landers
- ∥ Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, 409 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States.,Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, 122 Engineer's Way, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, United States.,Department of Pathology, University of Virginia, 415 Lane Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, 345 Cripell Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States
| | - Xudong Li
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Virginia, 135 Hospital Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, 415 Lane Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States
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20
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Ernst AU, Bowers DT, Wang LH, Shariati K, Plesser MD, Brown NK, Mehrabyan T, Ma M. Nanotechnology in cell replacement therapies for type 1 diabetes. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2019; 139:116-138. [PMID: 30716349 PMCID: PMC6677642 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2019.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2018] [Revised: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Islet transplantation is a promising long-term, compliance-free, complication-preventing treatment for type 1 diabetes. However, islet transplantation is currently limited to a narrow set of patients due to the shortage of donor islets and side effects from immunosuppression. Encapsulating cells in an immunoisolating membrane can allow for their transplantation without the need for immunosuppression. Alternatively, "open" systems may improve islet health and function by allowing vascular ingrowth at clinically attractive sites. Many processes that enable graft success in both approaches occur at the nanoscale level-in this review we thus consider nanotechnology in cell replacement therapies for type 1 diabetes. A variety of biomaterial-based strategies at the nanometer range have emerged to promote immune-isolation or modulation, proangiogenic, or insulinotropic effects. Additionally, coating islets with nano-thin polymer films has burgeoned as an islet protection modality. Materials approaches that utilize nanoscale features manipulate biology at the molecular scale, offering unique solutions to the enduring challenges of islet transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander U Ernst
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Daniel T Bowers
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Long-Hai Wang
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Kaavian Shariati
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Mitchell D Plesser
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Natalie K Brown
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Tigran Mehrabyan
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Minglin Ma
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
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21
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Lam SF, Shirure VS, Chu YE, Soetikno AG, George SC. Microfluidic device to attain high spatial and temporal control of oxygen. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0209574. [PMID: 30571786 PMCID: PMC6301786 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Microfluidic devices have been successfully used to recreate in vitro biological microenvironments, including disease states. However, one constant issue for replicating microenvironments is that atmospheric oxygen concentration (21% O2) does not mimic physiological values (often around 5% O2). We have created a microfluidic device that can control both the spatial and temporal variations in oxygen tensions that are characteristic of in vivo biology. Additionally, since the microcirculation is responsive to hypoxia, we used a 3D sprouting angiogenesis assay to confirm the biological relevance of the microfluidic platform. Our device consists of three parallel connected tissue chambers and an oxygen scavenger channel placed adjacent to these tissue chambers. Experimentally measured oxygen maps were constructed using phosphorescent lifetime imaging microscopy and compared with values from a computational model. The central chamber was loaded with endothelial and fibroblast cells to form a 3D vascular network. Four to six days later, fibroblasts were loaded into the side chambers, and a day later the oxygen scavenger (sodium sulfite) was flowed through the adjacent channel to induce a spatial and temporal oxygen gradient. Our results demonstrate that both constant chronic and intermittent hypoxia can bias vessel growth, with constant chronic hypoxia showing higher degrees of biased angiogenesis. Our simple design provides consistent control of spatial and temporal oxygen gradients in the tissue microenvironment and can be used to investigate important oxygen-dependent biological processes in conditions such as cancer and ischemic heart disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra F. Lam
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Venktesh S. Shirure
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Yunli E. Chu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Alan G. Soetikno
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Steven C. George
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
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22
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Farré R, Almendros I, Montserrat JM, Gozal D, Navajas D. Gas Partial Pressure in Cultured Cells: Patho-Physiological Importance and Methodological Approaches. Front Physiol 2018; 9:1803. [PMID: 30618815 PMCID: PMC6300470 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.01803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gas partial pressures within the cell microenvironment are one of the key modulators of cell pathophysiology. Indeed, respiratory gases (O2 and CO2) are usually altered in respiratory diseases and gasotransmitters (CO, NO, H2S) have been proposed as potential therapeutic agents. Investigating the pathophysiology of respiratory diseases in vitro mandates that cultured cells are subjected to gas partial pressures similar to those experienced by each cell type in its native microenvironment. For instance, O2 partial pressures range from ∼13% in the arterial endothelium to values as low as 2-5% in cells of other healthy tissues and to less than 1% in solid tumor cells, clearly much lower values than those used in conventional cell culture research settings (∼19%). Moreover, actual cell O2 partial pressure in vivo changes with time, at considerably different timescales as illustrated by tumors, sleep apnea, or mechanical ventilation. Unfortunately, the conventional approach to modify gas concentrations at the above culture medium precludes the tight and exact control of intra-cellular gas levels to realistically mimic the natural cell microenvironment. Interestingly, well-controlled cellular application of gas partial pressures is currently possible through commercially available silicone-like material (PDMS) membranes, which are biocompatible and have a high permeability to gases. Cells are seeded on one side of the membrane and tailored gas concentrations are circulated on the other side of the membrane. Using thin membranes (50-100 μm) the value of gas concentration is instantaneously (<0.5 s) transmitted to the cell microenvironment. As PDMS is transparent, cells can be concurrently observed by conventional or advanced microscopy. This procedure can be implemented in specific-purpose microfluidic devices and in settings that do not require expensive or complex technologies, thus making the procedure readily implementable in any cell biology laboratory. This review describes the gas composition requirements for a cell culture in respiratory research, the limitations of current experimental settings, and also suggests new approaches to better control gas partial pressures in a cell culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramon Farré
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Isaac Almendros
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep M. Montserrat
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
- Sleep Lab, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Gozal
- Department of Child Health, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Daniel Navajas
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain
- Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
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23
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Tian X, Li Z, Sun Y, Wang P, Ma H. Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probes for Hypoxia Detection via Joint Regulated Enzymes: Design, Synthesis, and Application in Living Cells and Mice. Anal Chem 2018; 90:13759-13766. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b04249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xinwei Tian
- Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory for Food Green Processing and Safety Control, College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
| | - Zhao Li
- Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory for Food Green Processing and Safety Control, College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
| | - Yue Sun
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Developing of Endangered Chinese Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
| | - Pan Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Medicinal Resources and Natural Pharmaceutical Chemistry, National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Developing of Endangered Chinese Crude Drugs in Northwest of China, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
| | - Huimin Ma
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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24
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Li X, Hu J, Easley CJ. Automated microfluidic droplet sampling with integrated, mix-and-read immunoassays to resolve endocrine tissue secretion dynamics. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:2926-2935. [PMID: 30112543 PMCID: PMC6234046 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00616d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
A fully automated droplet generation and analysis device based on pressure driven push-up valves for precise pumping of fluid and volumetric metering has been developed for high resolution hormone secretion sampling and measurement. The device consists of a 3D-printer templated reservoir for single cells or single tissue culturing, a Y-shaped channel for reagents and sample mixing, a T-junction channel for droplet formation, a reference channel to overcome drifts in fluorescence signal, and a long droplet storage channel allowing incubation for homogeneous immunoassays. The droplets were made by alternating peristaltic pumping of aqueous and oil phases. Device operation was automated, giving precise control over several droplet parameters such as size, oil spacing, and ratio of sample and reference droplets. By integrating an antibody-oligonucleotide based homogeneous immunoassay on-chip, high resolution temporal sampling into droplets was combined with separation-free quantification of insulin secretion from single islets of Langerhans using direct optical readout from the droplets. Quantitative assays of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion were demonstrated at 15 second temporal resolution while detecting as low as 10 amol per droplet, revealing fast insulin oscillations that mirror well-known intracellular calcium signals. This droplet sampling and direct optical analysis approach effectively digitizes the secretory time record from cells into droplets, and the system should be generalizable to a variety of cells and tissue types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangpeng Li
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA.
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25
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Hunyor I, Cook KM. Models of intermittent hypoxia and obstructive sleep apnea: molecular pathways and their contribution to cancer. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2018; 315:R669-R687. [PMID: 29995459 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00036.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common and linked to a variety of poor health outcomes. A key modulator of this disease is nocturnal intermittent hypoxia. There is striking epidemiological evidence that patients with OSA have higher rates of cancer and cancer mortality. Small-animal models demonstrate an important role for systemic intermittent hypoxia in tumor growth and metastasis, yet the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Emerging data indicate that intermittent hypoxia activates the hypoxic response and inflammatory pathways in a manner distinct from chronic hypoxia. However, there is significant heterogeneity in published methods for modeling hypoxic conditions, which are often lacking in physiological relevance. This is particularly important for studying key transcriptional mediators of the hypoxic and inflammatory responses such as hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and NF-κB. The relationship between HIF, the molecular clock, and circadian rhythm may also contribute to cancer risk in OSA. Building accurate in vitro models of intermittent hypoxia reflective of OSA is challenging but necessary to better elucidate underlying molecular pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imre Hunyor
- Department of Cardiology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital , Sydney, New South Wales , Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney School of Medicine , Sydney, New South Wales , Australia
| | - Kristina M Cook
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney School of Medicine , Sydney, New South Wales , Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney , Sydney, New South Wales , Australia
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26
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Sreepadmanabh M, Toley BJ. Investigations into the cancer stem cell niche using in-vitro 3-D tumor models and microfluidics. Biotechnol Adv 2018; 36:1094-1110. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2018.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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27
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Martewicz S, Gabrel G, Campesan M, Canton M, Di Lisa F, Elvassore N. Live Cell Imaging in Microfluidic Device Proves Resistance to Oxygen/Glucose Deprivation in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes. Anal Chem 2018; 90:5687-5695. [PMID: 29595056 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b05347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Analyses of cellular responses to fast oxygen dynamics are challenging and require ad hoc technological solutions, especially when decoupling from liquid media composition is required. In this work, we present a microfluidic device specifically designed for culture analyses with high resolution and magnification objectives, providing full optical access to the cell culture chamber. This feature allows fluorescence-based assays, photoactivated surface chemistry, and live cell imaging under tightly controlled pO2 environments. The device has a simple design, accommodates three independent cell cultures, and can be employed by users with basic cell culture training in studies requiring fast oxygen dynamics, defined media composition, and in-line data acquisition with optical molecular probes. We apply this technology to produce an oxygen/glucose deprived (OGD) environment and analyze cell mortality in murine and human cardiac cultures. Neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes show an OGD time-dependent sensitivity, resulting in a robust and reproducible 66 ± 5% death rate after 3 h of stress. Applying an equivalent stress to human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPS-CMs) provides direct experimental evidence for fetal-like OGD-resistant phenotype. Investigation on the nature of such phenotype exposed large glycogen deposits. We propose a culture strategy aimed at depleting these intracellular energy stores and concurrently activate positive regulation of aerobic metabolic molecular markers. The observed process, however, is not sufficient to induce an OGD-sensitive phenotype in hiPS-CMs, highlighting defective development of mature aerobic metabolism in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Martewicz
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies (SIAIS) , Shanghai Tech University , Shanghai , China.,Department of Industrial Engineering , University of Padova , via Marzolo 9 , 35131 Padova , Italy.,Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine , via Orus 2 , 35129 Padova , Italy
| | - Giulia Gabrel
- Department of Industrial Engineering , University of Padova , via Marzolo 9 , 35131 Padova , Italy
| | - Marika Campesan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Padova , via Bassi 58/B , 35121 Padova , Italy
| | - Marcella Canton
- Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Padova , via Bassi 58/B , 35121 Padova , Italy
| | - Fabio Di Lisa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences , University of Padova , via Bassi 58/B , 35121 Padova , Italy
| | - Nicola Elvassore
- Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Section , UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health , 30 Guilford Street , London WC1N 1EH , U.K.,Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies (SIAIS) , Shanghai Tech University , Shanghai , China.,Department of Industrial Engineering , University of Padova , via Marzolo 9 , 35131 Padova , Italy.,Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine , via Orus 2 , 35129 Padova , Italy
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28
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Abstract
Review of emerging advances and persisting challenges in the engineering and translation of islet encapsulation technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Long-Hai Wang
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering
- Cornell University
- Ithaca
- USA
| | - Minglin Ma
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering
- Cornell University
- Ithaca
- USA
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29
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Rexius-Hall ML, Rehman J, Eddington DT. A microfluidic oxygen gradient demonstrates differential activation of the hypoxia-regulated transcription factors HIF-1α and HIF-2α. Integr Biol (Camb) 2017; 9:742-750. [PMID: 28840922 PMCID: PMC5603417 DOI: 10.1039/c7ib00099e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Gas-perfused microchannels generated a linear oxygen gradient via diffusion across a 100 μm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane. The device enabled exposure of a single monolayer of cells sharing culture media to a heterogeneous oxygen landscape, thus reflecting the oxygen gradients found at the microscale in the physiological setting and allowing for the real-time exchange of paracrine factors and metabolites between cells exposed to varying oxygen levels. By tuning the distance between two gas supply channels, the slope of the oxygen gradient was controlled. We studied the hypoxic activation of the transcription factors HIF-1α and HIF-2α in human endothelial cells within a spatial linear gradient of oxygen. Quantification of the nuclear to cytosolic ratio of HIF immunofluorescent staining demonstrated that the threshold for HIF-1α activation was below 2.5% O2 while HIF-2α was activated throughout the entire linear gradient. We show for the first time HIF-2α is subject to hyproxya, hypoxia by proxy, wherein hypoxic cells activate HIF in close-proximity normoxic cells. These results underscore the differences between HIF-1α and HIF-2α regulation and suggest that a microfluidic oxygen gradient is a novel tool for identifying distinct hypoxic signaling activation and interactions between differentially oxygenated cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan L. Rexius-Hall
- Department of Bioengineering, The University of Illinois College of Engineering and College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Jalees Rehman
- Department of Pharmacology, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - David T. Eddington
- Department of Bioengineering, The University of Illinois College of Engineering and College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
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30
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Faleo G, Russ HA, Wisel S, Parent AV, Nguyen V, Nair GG, Freise JE, Villanueva KE, Szot GL, Hebrok M, Tang Q. Mitigating Ischemic Injury of Stem Cell-Derived Insulin-Producing Cells after Transplant. Stem Cell Reports 2017; 9:807-819. [PMID: 28803916 PMCID: PMC5599226 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2017.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The advent of large-scale in vitro differentiation of human stem cell-derived insulin-producing cells (SCIPC) has brought us closer to treating diabetes using stem cell technology. However, decades of experiences from islet transplantation show that ischemia-induced islet cell death after transplant severely limits the efficacy of the therapy. It is unclear to what extent human SCIPC are susceptible to ischemia. In this study, we show that more than half of SCIPC die shortly after transplantation. Nutrient deprivation and hypoxia acted synergistically to kill SCIPC in vitro. Amino acid supplementation rescued SCIPC from nutrient deprivation, likely by providing cellular energy. Generating SCIPC under physiological oxygen tension of 5% conferred hypoxia resistance without affecting their differentiation or function. A two-pronged strategy of physiological oxygen acclimatization during differentiation and amino acid supplementation during transplantation significantly improved SCIPC survival after transplant. Stem cell-derived insulin-producing cells (SCIPC) are susceptible to ischemic injury Amino acid supplementation prevents nutrient-deprivation-induced SCIPC death Generation of SCIPC at physiological oxygen levels protects them against hypoxia Both strategies combined preserve SCIPC graft viability in vivo upon transplant
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaetano Faleo
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Holger A Russ
- UCSF Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Steven Wisel
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Audrey V Parent
- UCSF Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Vinh Nguyen
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Gopika G Nair
- UCSF Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Jonathan E Freise
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Karina E Villanueva
- UCSF Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Gregory L Szot
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Matthias Hebrok
- UCSF Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Qizhi Tang
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; UCSF Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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31
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Abstract
Transplantation of pancreatic islets encapsulated within immuno-protective microcapsules is a strategy that has the potential to overcome graft rejection without the need for toxic immunosuppressive medication. However, despite promising preclinical studies, clinical trials using encapsulated islets have lacked long-term efficacy, and although generally considered clinically safe, have not been encouraging overall. One of the major factors limiting the long-term function of encapsulated islets is the host's immunological reaction to the transplanted graft which is often manifested as pericapsular fibrotic overgrowth (PFO). PFO forms a barrier on the capsule surface that prevents the ingress of oxygen and nutrients leading to islet cell starvation, hypoxia and death. The mechanism of PFO formation is still not elucidated fully and studies using a pig model have tried to understand the host immune response to empty alginate microcapsules. In this review, the varied strategies to overcome or reduce PFO are discussed, including alginate purification, altering microcapsule geometry, modifying alginate chemical composition, co-encapsulation with immunomodulatory cells, administration of pharmacological agents, and alternative transplantation sites. Nanoencapsulation technologies, such as conformal and layer-by-layer coating technologies, as well as nanofiber, thin-film nanoporous devices, and silicone based NanoGland devices are also addressed. Finally, this review outlines recent progress in imaging technologies to track encapsulated cells, as well as promising perspectives concerning the production of insulin-producing cells from stem cells for encapsulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijayaganapathy Vaithilingam
- Materials Science and Engineering, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sumeet Bal
- Materials Science and Engineering, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Bernard E Tuch
- School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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32
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Delaune V, Berney T, Lacotte S, Toso C. Intraportal islet transplantation: the impact of the liver microenvironment. Transpl Int 2017; 30:227-238. [DOI: 10.1111/tri.12919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Revised: 11/09/2016] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vaihere Delaune
- Hepatology and Transplantation Laboratory; Department of Surgery; Faculty of Medicine; University of Geneva; Geneva Switzerland
- Divisions of Abdominal and Transplantation Surgery; Department of Surgery; Geneva University Hospitals; Geneva Switzerland
| | - Thierry Berney
- Divisions of Abdominal and Transplantation Surgery; Department of Surgery; Geneva University Hospitals; Geneva Switzerland
- Cell Transplantation Laboratory; Department of Surgery; Faculty of Medicine; University of Geneva; Geneva Switzerland
| | - Stéphanie Lacotte
- Hepatology and Transplantation Laboratory; Department of Surgery; Faculty of Medicine; University of Geneva; Geneva Switzerland
| | - Christian Toso
- Hepatology and Transplantation Laboratory; Department of Surgery; Faculty of Medicine; University of Geneva; Geneva Switzerland
- Divisions of Abdominal and Transplantation Surgery; Department of Surgery; Geneva University Hospitals; Geneva Switzerland
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33
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Campillo N, Jorba I, Schaedel L, Casals B, Gozal D, Farré R, Almendros I, Navajas D. A Novel Chip for Cyclic Stretch and Intermittent Hypoxia Cell Exposures Mimicking Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Front Physiol 2016; 7:319. [PMID: 27524971 PMCID: PMC4965455 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Intermittent hypoxia (IH), a hallmark of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of OSA-associated morbidities, especially in the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Oxidative stress and inflammation induced by IH are suggested as main contributors of end-organ dysfunction in OSA patients and animal models. Since the molecular mechanisms underlying these in vivo pathological responses remain poorly understood, implementation of experimental in vitro cell-based systems capable of inducing high-frequency IH would be highly desirable. Here, we describe the design, fabrication, and validation of a versatile chip for subjecting cultured cells to fast changes in gas partial pressure and to cyclic stretch. The chip is fabricated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and consists of a cylindrical well-covered by a thin membrane. Cells cultured on top of the membrane can be subjected to fast changes in oxygen concentration (equilibrium time ~6 s). Moreover, cells can be subjected to cyclic stretch at cardiac or respiratory frequencies independently or simultaneously. Rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exposed to IH mimicking OSA and cyclic stretch at cardiac frequencies revealed that hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) expression was increased in response to both stimuli. Thus, the chip provides a versatile tool for the study of cellular responses to cyclical hypoxia and stretch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Campillo
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain; Cellular and Respiratory Biomechanics, Institute for Bioengineering of CataloniaBarcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades RespiratoriasMadrid, Spain
| | - Ignasi Jorba
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain; Cellular and Respiratory Biomechanics, Institute for Bioengineering of CataloniaBarcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades RespiratoriasMadrid, Spain
| | - Laura Schaedel
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain; Cellular and Respiratory Biomechanics, Institute for Bioengineering of CataloniaBarcelona, Spain
| | - Blai Casals
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain; Cellular and Respiratory Biomechanics, Institute for Bioengineering of CataloniaBarcelona, Spain
| | - David Gozal
- Biological Sciences Division, Department of Pediatrics, Pritzker School of Medicine, The University of Chicago Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ramon Farré
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades RespiratoriasMadrid, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i SunyerBarcelona, Spain
| | - Isaac Almendros
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades RespiratoriasMadrid, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i SunyerBarcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Navajas
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain; Cellular and Respiratory Biomechanics, Institute for Bioengineering of CataloniaBarcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades RespiratoriasMadrid, Spain
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34
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Schrell AM, Mukhitov N, Yi L, Wang X, Roper MG. Microfluidic Devices for the Measurement of Cellular Secretion. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (PALO ALTO, CALIF.) 2016; 9:249-69. [PMID: 27306310 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-anchem-071114-040409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The release of chemical information from cells and tissues holds the key to understanding cellular behavior and dysfunction. The development of methodologies that can measure cellular secretion in a time-dependent fashion is therefore essential. Often these measurements are made difficult by the high-salt conditions of the cellular environment, the presence of numerous other secreted factors, and the small mass samples that are produced when frequent sampling is used to resolve secretory dynamics. In this review, the methods that we have developed for measuring hormone release from islets of Langerhans are dissected to illustrate the practical difficulties of studying cellular secretions. Other methods from the literature are presented that provide alternative approaches to particularly challenging areas of monitoring cellular secretion. The examples presented in this review serve as case studies and should be adaptable to other cell types and systems for unique applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian M Schrell
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306;
| | - Nikita Mukhitov
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306;
| | - Lian Yi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306;
| | - Xue Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306;
| | - Michael G Roper
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306;
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35
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Gileles-Hillel A, Kheirandish-Gozal L, Gozal D. Biological plausibility linking sleep apnoea and metabolic dysfunction. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2016; 12:290-8. [PMID: 26939978 DOI: 10.1038/nrendo.2016.22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a very common disorder that affects 10-25% of the general population. In the past two decades, OSA has emerged as a cardiometabolic risk factor in both paediatric and adult populations. OSA-induced metabolic perturbations include dyslipidaemia, atherogenesis, liver dysfunction and abnormal glucose metabolism. The mainstay of treatment for OSA is adenotonsillectomy in children and continuous positive airway pressure therapy in adults. Although these therapies are effective at resolving the sleep-disordered breathing component of OSA, they do not always produce beneficial effects on metabolic function. Thus, a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which OSA influences metabolic dysfunction might yield improved therapeutic approaches and outcomes. In this Review, we summarize the evidence obtained from animal models and studies of patients with OSA of potential mechanistic pathways linking the hallmarks of OSA (intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation) with metabolic dysfunction. Special emphasis is given to adipose tissue dysfunction induced by sleep apnoea, which bears a striking resemblance to adipose dysfunction resulting from obesity. In addition, important gaps in current knowledge and promising lines of future investigation are identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Gileles-Hillel
- Department of Pediatrics, Pritzker School of Medicine, Biological Sciences Division, The University of Chicago, Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery, Room 4100, 900 East 57th Street, Mailbox 4, Chicago, Illinois 60637-1470, USA
| | - Leila Kheirandish-Gozal
- Department of Pediatrics, Pritzker School of Medicine, Biological Sciences Division, The University of Chicago, Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery, Room 4100, 900 East 57th Street, Mailbox 4, Chicago, Illinois 60637-1470, USA
| | - David Gozal
- Department of Pediatrics, Pritzker School of Medicine, Biological Sciences Division, The University of Chicago, Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery, Room 4100, 900 East 57th Street, Mailbox 4, Chicago, Illinois 60637-1470, USA
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36
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Nourmohammadzadeh M, Xing Y, Lee JW, Bochenek MA, Mendoza-Elias JE, McGarrigle JJ, Marchese E, Chun-Chieh Y, Eddington DT, Oberholzer J, Wang Y. A microfluidic array for real-time live-cell imaging of human and rodent pancreatic islets. LAB ON A CHIP 2016; 16:1466-72. [PMID: 26999734 PMCID: PMC6286192 DOI: 10.1039/c5lc01173f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we present a microfluidic array for high-resolution imaging of individual pancreatic islets. The device is based on hydrodynamic trapping principle and enables real-time analysis of islet cellular responses to insulin secretagogues. This device has significant advantages over our previously published perifusion chamber device including significantly increased analytical power and assay sensitivity, as well as improved spatiotemporal resolution. The islet array, with live-cell multiparametric imaging integration, provides a better tool to understand the physiological and pathophysiological changes of pancreatic islets through the analysis of single islet responses. This platform demonstrates the feasibility of array-based islet cellular analysis and opens up a new modality to conduct informative and quantitive evaluation of islets and cell-based screening for new diabetes treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Nourmohammadzadeh
- Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612 USA. and Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607 USA
| | - Yuan Xing
- Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612 USA. and Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607 USA
| | - Jin Wuk Lee
- Department of Electroengineering, Northern Illinois University, Chicago, IL, 60115 USA
| | - Matthew A Bochenek
- Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612 USA. and Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607 USA
| | - Joshua E Mendoza-Elias
- Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612 USA. and Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607 USA
| | - James J McGarrigle
- Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612 USA.
| | - Enza Marchese
- Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612 USA.
| | - Yeh Chun-Chieh
- Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612 USA.
| | - David T Eddington
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607 USA
| | - José Oberholzer
- Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612 USA. and Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607 USA
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612 USA. and Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607 USA
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37
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Castiello FR, Heileman K, Tabrizian M. Microfluidic perfusion systems for secretion fingerprint analysis of pancreatic islets: applications, challenges and opportunities. LAB ON A CHIP 2016; 16:409-31. [PMID: 26732665 DOI: 10.1039/c5lc01046b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
A secretome signature is a heterogeneous profile of secretions present in a single cell type. From the secretome signature a smaller panel of proteins, namely a secretion fingerprint, can be chosen to feasibly monitor specific cellular activity. Based on a thorough appraisal of the literature, this review explores the possibility of defining and using a secretion fingerprint to gauge the functionality of pancreatic islets of Langerhans. It covers the state of the art regarding microfluidic perfusion systems used in pancreatic islet research. Candidate analytical tools to be integrated within microfluidic perfusion systems for dynamic secretory fingerprint monitoring were identified. These analytical tools include patch clamp, amperometry/voltametry, impedance spectroscopy, field effect transistors and surface plasmon resonance. Coupled with these tools, microfluidic devices can ultimately find applications in determining islet quality for transplantation, islet regeneration and drug screening of therapeutic agents for the treatment of diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Rafael Castiello
- Biomedical Engineering Department, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada.
| | - Khalil Heileman
- Biomedical Engineering Department, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada.
| | - Maryam Tabrizian
- Biomedical Engineering Department, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada.
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38
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A review of chemical gradient systems for cell analysis. Anal Chim Acta 2016; 907:7-17. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2015.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Revised: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 12/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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39
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Pappas D. Microfluidics and cancer analysis: cell separation, cell/tissue culture, cell mechanics, and integrated analysis systems. Analyst 2016; 141:525-35. [DOI: 10.1039/c5an01778e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Among the growing number of tools available for cancer studies, microfluidic systems have emerged as a promising analytical tool to elucidate cancer cell and tumor function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitri Pappas
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Texas Tech University
- USA
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40
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Microfluidic Organ/Body-on-a-Chip Devices at the Convergence of Biology and Microengineering. SENSORS 2015; 15:31142-70. [PMID: 26690442 PMCID: PMC4721768 DOI: 10.3390/s151229848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2015] [Revised: 11/16/2015] [Accepted: 12/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in biomedical technologies are mostly related to the convergence of biology with microengineering. For instance, microfluidic devices are now commonly found in most research centers, clinics and hospitals, contributing to more accurate studies and therapies as powerful tools for drug delivery, monitoring of specific analytes, and medical diagnostics. Most remarkably, integration of cellularized constructs within microengineered platforms has enabled the recapitulation of the physiological and pathological conditions of complex tissues and organs. The so-called “organ-on-a-chip” technology, which represents a new avenue in the field of advanced in vitro models, with the potential to revolutionize current approaches to drug screening and toxicology studies. This review aims to highlight recent advances of microfluidic-based devices towards a body-on-a-chip concept, exploring their technology and broad applications in the biomedical field.
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41
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Grist SM, Schmok JC, Liu MCA, Chrostowski L, Cheung KC. Designing a Microfluidic Device with Integrated Ratiometric Oxygen Sensors for the Long-Term Control and Monitoring of Chronic and Cyclic Hypoxia. SENSORS 2015; 15:20030-52. [PMID: 26287202 PMCID: PMC4570408 DOI: 10.3390/s150820030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2015] [Revised: 06/28/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Control of oxygen over cell cultures in vitro is a topic of considerable interest, as chronic and cyclic hypoxia can alter cell behaviour. Both static and transient hypoxic levels have been found to affect tumour cell behaviour; it is potentially valuable to include these effects in early, in vitro stages of drug screening. A barrier to their inclusion is that rates of transient hypoxia can be a few cycles/hour, which is difficult to reproduce in traditional in vitro cell culture environments due to long diffusion distances from control gases to the cells. We use a gas-permeable three-layer microfluidic device to achieve spatial and temporal oxygen control with biologically-relevant switching times. We measure the oxygen profiles with integrated, ratiometric optical oxygen sensors, demonstrate sensor and system stability over multi-day experiments, and characterize a pre-bleaching process to improve sensor stability. We show, with both finite-element modelling and experimental data, excellent control over the oxygen levels by the device, independent of fluid flow rate and oxygenation for the operating flow regime. We measure equilibration times of approximately 10 min, generate complex, time-varying oxygen profiles, and study the effects of oxygenated media flow rates on the measured oxygen levels. This device could form a useful tool for future long-term studies of cell behaviour under hypoxia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha M Grist
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, 2332 Main Mall, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, BC, Canada.
| | - Jonathan C Schmok
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, 2332 Main Mall, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, BC, Canada.
| | - Meng-Chi Andy Liu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, 2332 Main Mall, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, BC, Canada.
| | - Lukas Chrostowski
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, 2332 Main Mall, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, BC, Canada.
| | - Karen C Cheung
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of British Columbia, 2332 Main Mall, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, BC, Canada.
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42
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Balancing oxygen diffusion and convection in spiral microfluidics to mimic radial biological gradients. Biomed Microdevices 2015; 17:14. [DOI: 10.1007/s10544-014-9922-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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43
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Nahavandi S, Tang SY, Baratchi S, Soffe R, Nahavandi S, Kalantar-zadeh K, Mitchell A, Khoshmanesh K. Microfluidic platforms for the investigation of intercellular signalling mechanisms. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2014; 10:4810-26. [PMID: 25238429 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201401444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Revised: 06/27/2014] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Intercellular signalling has been identified as a highly complex process, responsible for orchestrating many physiological functions. While conventional methods of investigation have been useful, their limitations are impeding further development. Microfluidics offers an opportunity to overcome some of these limitations. Most notably, microfluidic systems can emulate the in-vivo environments. Further, they enable exceptionally precise control of the microenvironment, allowing complex mechanisms to be selectively isolated and studied in detail. There has thus been a growing adoption of microfluidic platforms for investigation of cell signalling mechanisms. This review provides an overview of the different signalling mechanisms and discusses the methods used to study them, with a focus on the microfluidic devices developed for this purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Nahavandi
- Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, & Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
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44
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Acosta MA, Jiang X, Huang PK, Cutler KB, Grant CS, Walker GM, Gamcsik MP. A microfluidic device to study cancer metastasis under chronic and intermittent hypoxia. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2014; 8:054117. [PMID: 25584114 PMCID: PMC4290574 DOI: 10.1063/1.4898788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2014] [Accepted: 10/08/2014] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Metastatic cancer cells must traverse a microenvironment ranging from extremely hypoxic, within the tumor, to highly oxygenated, within the host's vasculature. Tumor hypoxia can be further characterized by regions of both chronic and intermittent hypoxia. We present the design and characterization of a microfluidic device that can simultaneously mimic the oxygenation conditions observed within the tumor and model the cell migration and intravasation processes. This device can generate spatial oxygen gradients of chronic hypoxia and produce dynamically changing hypoxic microenvironments in long-term culture of cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Acosta
- UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University , 4206D Engineering Building III, 911 Oval Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7115, USA
| | - Xiao Jiang
- UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University , 4206D Engineering Building III, 911 Oval Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7115, USA
| | - Pin-Kang Huang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology , No. 43, Sec. 4, Keelung Road, Da'an District, Taipei City 106, Taiwan
| | - Kyle B Cutler
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Beckman Laser Institute, University of California Irvine , 1002 Health Services Road, Irvine, California 92617, USA
| | - Christine S Grant
- UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University , 4206D Engineering Building III, 911 Oval Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7115, USA
| | - Glenn M Walker
- UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University , 4206D Engineering Building III, 911 Oval Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7115, USA
| | - Michael P Gamcsik
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology , No. 43, Sec. 4, Keelung Road, Da'an District, Taipei City 106, Taiwan
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45
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Khanal G, Hiemstra S, Pappas D. Probing hypoxia-induced staurosporine resistance in prostate cancer cells with a microfluidic culture system. Analyst 2014; 139:3274-80. [PMID: 24479128 PMCID: PMC4043951 DOI: 10.1039/c3an02324a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
A microfluidic system for cell culture and drug response studies was developed to elucidate the effects of hypoxia on drug susceptibility. Drug response studies were performed in prostate cancer cells and Ramos B cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. A vacuum actuated microfluidic culture device was used for cell culture and PC3 cells were cultured in the chip up to 16 hours. Cells were treated with several concentrations of staurosporine and apoptosis was assayed using the fluorescent probes MitoTracker Deep Red and Annexin-V. For hypoxic samples, the chip was placed in a hypoxia chamber and pre-conditioned at <1% oxygen before inducing the cells with staurosporine. Cells exposed to 2 μM staurosporine were 32% ± 10% apoptotic under normoxic conditions but only 1.5% ± 12% apoptotic under hypoxic conditions. As little as 1 hour of hypoxic preconditioning increased drug resistance. Cell apoptosis correlated with drug dose, although in each case hypoxia reduced the apoptotic fraction significantly. Given the rapid nature of cell adaptation to hypoxia, this chip and analysis approach can be used to identify compounds that can induce cell death in hypoxic tumor cells rapidly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grishma Khanal
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1061, USA.
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46
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Colton CK. Oxygen supply to encapsulated therapeutic cells. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2014; 67-68:93-110. [PMID: 24582600 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2014.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2013] [Revised: 01/06/2014] [Accepted: 02/19/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Therapeutic cells encapsulated in immunobarrier devices have promise for treatment of a variety of human diseases without immunosuppression. The absence of sufficient oxygen supply to maintain viability and function of encapsulated tissue has been the most critical impediment to progress. Within the framework of oxygen supply limitations, we review the major issues related to development of these devices, primarily in the context of encapsulated islets of Langerhans for treating diabetes, including device designs and materials, supply of tissue, protection from immune rejection, and maintenance of cell viability and function. We describe various defensive measures investigated to enhance survival of transplanted tissue, and we review the diverse approaches to enhancement of oxygen transport to encapsulated tissue, including manipulation of diffusion distances and oxygen permeability of materials, induction of neovascularization with angiogenic factors and vascularizing membranes, and methods for increasing the oxygen concentration adjacent to encapsulated tissue so as to exceed that in the microvasculature. Recent developments, particularly in this latter area, suggest that the field is ready for clinical trials of encapsulated therapeutic cells to treat diabetes.
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Silva PN, Green BJ, Altamentova SM, Rocheleau JV. A microfluidic device designed to induce media flow throughout pancreatic islets while limiting shear-induced damage. LAB ON A CHIP 2013; 13:4374-4384. [PMID: 24056576 DOI: 10.1039/c3lc50680k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Pancreatic islets are heavily vascularized in vivo with fenestrated endothelial cells (ECs) to facilitate blood glucose-sensing and endocrine hormone secretion. The close proximity of insulin secreting beta cells and ECs also plays a critical role in modulating the proliferation and survival of both cell types with the mechanisms governing this interaction poorly understood. Isolated islets lose EC morphology and mass over a period of days in culture prohibiting study of this interaction in vitro. The loss of ECs also limits the efficacy of islet transplant revascularization in the treatment of Type 1 diabetes. We previously showed that microfluidically driven flow positively affects beta-cell function and EC survival in culture due to enhanced transport of media into the tissue. However, holding islets stationary in media flow using a dam-wall design also resulted in reduced glucose-stimulated metabolic and Ca(2+) responses at the periphery of the tissue consistent with shear-induced damage. We have now created a device that traps islets into sequential cup-shaped nozzles. This hydrodynamic trap design limits flow velocity around the perimeter of the islet while enhancing media flow through the tissue. We demonstrate the feasibility of this device to dynamically treat and collect effluent from islets. We further show that treating islets in this device enhances EC morphology without reducing glucose-stimulate Ca(2+) responses. These data reveal a microfluidic device to study EC and endocrine cell interaction that can be further leveraged to prime islets prior to transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamuditha N Silva
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G9, Canada.
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Lo JFJ, Wang Y, Li Z, Zhao Z, Hu D, Eddington DT, Oberholzer J. Quantitative and temporal control of oxygen microenvironment at the single islet level. J Vis Exp 2013:e50616. [PMID: 24299958 DOI: 10.3791/50616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Simultaneous oxygenation and monitoring of glucose stimulus-secretion coupling factors in a single technique is critical for modeling pathophysiological states of islet hypoxia, especially in transplant environments. Standard hypoxic chamber techniques cannot modulate both stimulations at the same time nor provide real-time monitoring of glucose stimulus-secretion coupling factors. To address these difficulties, we applied a multilayered microfluidic technique to integrate both aqueous and gas phase modulations via a diffusion membrane. This creates a stimulation sandwich around the microscaled islets within the transparent polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) device, enabling monitoring of the aforementioned coupling factors via fluorescence microscopy. Additionally, the gas input is controlled by a pair of microdispensers, providing quantitative, sub-minute modulations of oxygen between 0-21%. This intermittent hypoxia is applied to investigate a new phenomenon of islet preconditioning. Moreover, armed with multimodal microscopy, we were able to look at detailed calcium and KATP channel dynamics during these hypoxic events. We envision microfluidic hypoxia, especially this simultaneous dual phase technique, as a valuable tool in studying islets as well as many ex vivo tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Fu-Jiou Lo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan-Dearborn
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Nourmohammadzadeh M, Lo JF, Bochenek M, Mendoza-Elias JE, Wang Q, Li Z, Zeng L, Qi M, Eddington DT, Oberholzer J, Wang Y. Microfluidic array with integrated oxygenation control for real-time live-cell imaging: effect of hypoxia on physiology of microencapsulated pancreatic islets. Anal Chem 2013; 85:11240-9. [PMID: 24083835 DOI: 10.1021/ac401297v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In this article, we present a novel microfluidic islet array based on a hydrodynamic trapping principle. The lab-on-a-chip studies with live-cell multiparametric imaging allow understanding of physiological and pathophysiological changes of microencapsulated islets under hypoxic conditions. Using this microfluidic array and imaging analysis techniques, we demonstrate that hypoxia impairs the function of microencapsulated islets at the single islet level, showing a heterogeneous pattern reflected in intracellular calcium signaling, mitochondrial energetic, and redox activity. Our approach demonstrates an improvement over conventional hypoxia chambers that is able to rapidly equilibrate to true hypoxia levels through the integration of dynamic oxygenation. This work demonstrates the feasibility of array-based cellular analysis and opens up new modality to conduct informative analysis and cell-based screening for microencapsulated pancreatic islets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Nourmohammadzadeh
- Department of Surgery/Transplant, University of Illinois at Chicago , 840 South Wood Street, Room 502, Chicago, Illinois 60612
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50
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Cantley J, Walters SN, Jung MH, Weinberg A, Cowley MJ, Whitworth PT, Kaplan W, Hawthorne WJ, O'connell PJ, Weir G, Grey ST. A Preexistent Hypoxic Gene Signature Predicts Impaired Islet Graft Function and Glucose Homeostasis. Cell Transplant 2013; 22:2147-59. [DOI: 10.3727/096368912x658728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
We examined whether hypoxic exposure prior to the event of transplantation would have a positive or negative effect upon later islet graft function. Mouse islets exposed to hypoxic culture were transplanted into syngeneic recipients. Islet graft function, β-cell physiology, as well as molecular changes were examined. Expression of hypoxia-response genes in human islets pre- and posttransplant was examined by microarray. Hypoxia-preexposed murine islet grafts provided poor glycemic control in their syngeneic recipients, marked by persistent hyperglycemia and pronounced glucose intolerance with failed first- and second-phase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in vivo. Mechanistically, hypoxic preexposure stabilized HIF-1α with a concomitant increase in hypoxic-response genes including LDHA, and a molecular gene set, which would favor glycolysis and lactate production and impair glucose sensing. Indeed, static incubation studies showed that hypoxia-exposed islets exhibited dysregulated glucose responsiveness with elevated basal insulin secretion. Isolated human islets, prior to transplantation, express a characteristic hypoxia-response gene expression signature, including high levels of LDHA, which is maintained posttransplant. Hypoxic preexposure of an islet graft drives a HIF-dependent switch to glycolysis with subsequent poor glycemic control and loss of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Early intervention to reverse or prevent these hypoxia-induced metabolic gene changes may improve clinical islet transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Cantley
- Diabetes and Obesity Research Program, Garvan Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Stacey N. Walters
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- Immunology Program, Garvan Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Min-Ho Jung
- Islet Cell and Regenerative Biology, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anita Weinberg
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- Immunology Program, Garvan Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mark J. Cowley
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- Cancer Program, Garvan Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
| | - P. Tess Whitworth
- Diabetes and Obesity Research Program, Garvan Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Warren Kaplan
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- Peter Wills Bioinformatics Centre, Garvan Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Wayne J. Hawthorne
- The Centre for Transplant and Renal Research, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Philip J. O'connell
- The Centre for Transplant and Renal Research, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Gordon Weir
- Islet Cell and Regenerative Biology, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shane T. Grey
- St. Vincent's Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
- Immunology Program, Garvan Institute, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia
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