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Oshabaheebwa S, Delianides CA, Patwardhan AA, Evans EN, Sekyonda Z, Bode A, Apio FM, Mutuluuza CK, Sheehan VA, Suster MA, Gurkan UA, Mohseni P. A miniaturized wash-free microfluidic assay for electrical impedance-based assessment of red blood cell-mediated microvascular occlusion. Biosens Bioelectron 2024; 258:116352. [PMID: 38718635 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.116352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
The production of HbS - an abnormal hemoglobin (Hb) - in sickle cell disease (SCD) results in poorly deformable red blood cells (RBCs) that are prone to microcapillary occlusion, causing tissue ischemia and organ damage. Novel treatments, including gene therapy, may reduce SCD morbidity, but methods to functionally evaluate RBCs remain limited. Previously, we presented the microfluidic impedance red cell assay (MIRCA) for rapid assessment of RBC deformability, employing electrical impedance-based readout to measure RBC occlusion of progressively narrowing micropillar openings. We describe herein the design, development, validation, and clinical utility of the next-generation MIRCA assay, featuring enhanced portability, rapidity, and usability. It incorporates a miniaturized impedance analyzer and features a simplified wash-free operation that yields an occlusion index (OI) within 15 min as a new metric for RBC occlusion. We show a correlation between OI and percent fetal hemoglobin (%HbF), other laboratory biomarkers of RBC hemolysis, and SCD severity. To demonstrate the assay's versatility, we tested RBC samples from treatment-naïve SCD patients in Uganda that yielded OI levels similar to those from hydroxyurea (HU)-treated patients in the U.S., highlighting the role of %HbF in protecting against microcapillary occlusion independent of other pharmacological effects. The MIRCA assay could also identify a subset of HU-treated patients with high occlusion risks, suggesting that they may require treatment adjustments including a second-line therapy to improve their outcomes. This work demonstrates the potential of the MIRCA assay for accelerated evaluation of RBC health, function, and therapeutic effect in an ex vivo model of the microcapillary networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solomon Oshabaheebwa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Christopher A Delianides
- Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Akshay A Patwardhan
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine & Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Erica N Evans
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine & Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Zoe Sekyonda
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Allison Bode
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | | | | | - Vivien A Sheehan
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine & Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
| | - Michael A Suster
- Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Umut A Gurkan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA; Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
| | - Pedram Mohseni
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA; Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
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Keshavarz Motamed P, Abouali H, Poudineh M, Maftoon N. Experimental measurement and numerical modeling of deformation behavior of breast cancer cells passing through constricted microfluidic channels. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2024; 10:7. [PMID: 38222473 PMCID: PMC10786721 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-023-00644-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
During the multistep process of metastasis, cancer cells encounter various mechanical forces which make them deform drastically. Developing accurate in-silico models, capable of simulating the interactions between the mechanical forces and highly deformable cancer cells, can pave the way for the development of novel diagnostic and predictive methods for metastatic progression. Spring-network models of cancer cell, empowered by our recently proposed identification approach, promises a versatile numerical tool for developing experimentally validated models that can simulate complex interactions at cellular scale. Using this numerical tool, we presented spring-network models of breast cancer cells that can accurately replicate the experimental data of deformation behavior of the cells flowing in a fluidic domain and passing narrow constrictions comparable to microcapillary. First, using high-speed imaging, we experimentally studied the deformability of breast cancer cell lines with varying metastatic potential (MCF-7 (less invasive), SKBR-3 (medium-high invasive), and MDA-MB-231 (highly invasive)) in terms of their entry time to a constricted microfluidic channel. We observed that MDA-MB-231, that has the highest metastatic potential, is the most deformable cell among the three. Then, by focusing on this cell line, experimental measurements were expanded to two more constricted microchannel dimensions. The experimental deformability data in three constricted microchannel sizes for various cell sizes, enabled accurate identification of the unknown parameters of the spring-network model of the breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231). Our results show that the identified parameters depend on the cell size, suggesting the need for a systematic procedure for identifying the size-dependent parameters of spring-network models of cells. As the numerical results show, the presented cell models can simulate the entry process of the cell into constricted channels with very good agreements with the measured experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pouyan Keshavarz Motamed
- Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
- Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
| | - Hesam Abouali
- Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
| | - Mahla Poudineh
- Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
| | - Nima Maftoon
- Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
- Center for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
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Soteriou D, Kubánková M, Schweitzer C, López-Posadas R, Pradhan R, Thoma OM, Györfi AH, Matei AE, Waldner M, Distler JHW, Scheuermann S, Langejürgen J, Eckstein M, Schneider-Stock R, Atreya R, Neurath MF, Hartmann A, Guck J. Rapid single-cell physical phenotyping of mechanically dissociated tissue biopsies. Nat Biomed Eng 2023; 7:1392-1403. [PMID: 37024677 PMCID: PMC10651479 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-023-01015-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
During surgery, rapid and accurate histopathological diagnosis is essential for clinical decision making. Yet the prevalent method of intra-operative consultation pathology is intensive in time, labour and costs, and requires the expertise of trained pathologists. Here we show that biopsy samples can be analysed within 30 min by sequentially assessing the physical phenotypes of singularized suspended cells dissociated from the tissues. The diagnostic method combines the enzyme-free mechanical dissociation of tissues, real-time deformability cytometry at rates of 100-1,000 cells s-1 and data analysis by unsupervised dimensionality reduction and logistic regression. Physical phenotype parameters extracted from brightfield images of single cells distinguished cell subpopulations in various tissues, enhancing or even substituting measurements of molecular markers. We used the method to quantify the degree of colon inflammation and to accurately discriminate healthy and tumorous tissue in biopsy samples of mouse and human colons. This fast and label-free approach may aid the intra-operative detection of pathological changes in solid biopsies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Despina Soteriou
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light and Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Markéta Kubánková
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light and Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christine Schweitzer
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light and Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Rocío López-Posadas
- Department of Medicine 1-Gastroenterology, Pneumology and Endocrinology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Rashmita Pradhan
- Department of Medicine 1-Gastroenterology, Pneumology and Endocrinology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Oana-Maria Thoma
- Department of Medicine 1-Gastroenterology, Pneumology and Endocrinology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andrea-Hermina Györfi
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Alexandru-Emil Matei
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Maximilian Waldner
- Department of Medicine 1-Gastroenterology, Pneumology and Endocrinology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jörg H W Distler
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | | | | | - Markus Eckstein
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, Germany
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Regine Schneider-Stock
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, Germany
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Raja Atreya
- Department of Medicine 1-Gastroenterology, Pneumology and Endocrinology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Markus F Neurath
- Department of Medicine 1-Gastroenterology, Pneumology and Endocrinology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Arndt Hartmann
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Erlangen-EMN (CCC ER-EMN), Erlangen, Germany
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jochen Guck
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light and Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany.
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Fay ME, Oshinowo O, Iffrig E, Fibben KS, Caruso C, Hansen S, Musick JO, Valdez JM, Azer SS, Mannino RG, Choi H, Zhang DY, Williams EK, Evans EN, Kanne CK, Kemp ML, Sheehan VA, Carden MA, Bennett CM, Wood DK, Lam WA. iCLOTS: open-source, artificial intelligence-enabled software for analyses of blood cells in microfluidic and microscopy-based assays. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5022. [PMID: 37596311 PMCID: PMC10439163 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40522-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023] Open
Abstract
While microscopy-based cellular assays, including microfluidics, have significantly advanced over the last several decades, there has not been concurrent development of widely-accessible techniques to analyze time-dependent microscopy data incorporating phenomena such as fluid flow and dynamic cell adhesion. As such, experimentalists typically rely on error-prone and time-consuming manual analysis, resulting in lost resolution and missed opportunities for innovative metrics. We present a user-adaptable toolkit packaged into the open-source, standalone Interactive Cellular assay Labeled Observation and Tracking Software (iCLOTS). We benchmark cell adhesion, single-cell tracking, velocity profile, and multiscale microfluidic-centric applications with blood samples, the prototypical biofluid specimen. Moreover, machine learning algorithms characterize previously imperceptible data groupings from numerical outputs. Free to download/use, iCLOTS addresses a need for a field stymied by a lack of analytical tools for innovative, physiologically-relevant assays of any design, democratizing use of well-validated algorithms for all end-user biomedical researchers who would benefit from advanced computational methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith E Fay
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Oluwamayokun Oshinowo
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Iffrig
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kirby S Fibben
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Christina Caruso
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Scott Hansen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Jamie O Musick
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - José M Valdez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Sally S Azer
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Robert G Mannino
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Hyoann Choi
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Dan Y Zhang
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Evelyn K Williams
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Erica N Evans
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Celeste K Kanne
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Melissa L Kemp
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Vivien A Sheehan
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Marcus A Carden
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Carolyn M Bennett
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - David K Wood
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Wilbur A Lam
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Parker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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An L, Ji F, Zhao E, Liu Y, Liu Y. Measuring cell deformation by microfluidics. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1214544. [PMID: 37434754 PMCID: PMC10331473 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1214544] [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: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Microfluidics is an increasingly popular method for studying cell deformation, with various applications in fields such as cell biology, biophysics, and medical research. Characterizing cell deformation offers insights into fundamental cell processes, such as migration, division, and signaling. This review summarizes recent advances in microfluidic techniques for measuring cellular deformation, including the different types of microfluidic devices and methods used to induce cell deformation. Recent applications of microfluidics-based approaches for studying cell deformation are highlighted. Compared to traditional methods, microfluidic chips can control the direction and velocity of cell flow by establishing microfluidic channels and microcolumn arrays, enabling the measurement of cell shape changes. Overall, microfluidics-based approaches provide a powerful platform for studying cell deformation. It is expected that future developments will lead to more intelligent and diverse microfluidic chips, further promoting the application of microfluidics-based methods in biomedical research, providing more effective tools for disease diagnosis, drug screening, and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling An
- School of Engineering, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Fenglong Ji
- School of Textile Materials and Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, Guangdong, China
| | - Enming Zhao
- School of Engineering, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Yi Liu
- School of Engineering, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Yaling Liu
- Department of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, United States
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, United States
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6
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Kurma K, Alix-Panabières C. Mechanobiology and survival strategies of circulating tumor cells: a process towards the invasive and metastatic phenotype. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1188499. [PMID: 37215087 PMCID: PMC10196185 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1188499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Metastatic progression is the deadliest feature of cancer. Cancer cell growth, invasion, intravasation, circulation, arrest/adhesion and extravasation require specific mechanical properties to allow cell survival and the completion of the metastatic cascade. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) come into contact with the capillary bed during extravasation/intravasation at the beginning of the metastatic cascade. However, CTC mechanobiology and survival strategies in the bloodstream, and specifically in the microcirculation, are not well known. A fraction of CTCs can extravasate and colonize distant areas despite the biomechanical constriction forces that are exerted by the microcirculation and that strongly decrease tumor cell survival. Furthermore, accumulating evidence shows that several CTC adaptations, via molecular factors and interactions with blood components (e.g., immune cells and platelets inside capillaries), may promote metastasis formation. To better understand CTC journey in the microcirculation as part of the metastatic cascade, we reviewed how CTC mechanobiology and interaction with other cell types in the bloodstream help them to survive the harsh conditions in the circulatory system and to metastasize in distant organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keerthi Kurma
- Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells (LCCRH), University Medical Centre of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
- European Liquid Biopsy Society (E LBS), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Catherine Alix-Panabières
- Laboratory of Rare Human Circulating Cells (LCCRH), University Medical Centre of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- CREEC/CANECEV, MIVEGEC (CREES), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
- European Liquid Biopsy Society (E LBS), Hamburg, Germany
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7
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Ly C, Ogana H, Kim HN, Hurwitz S, Deeds EJ, Kim YM, Rowat AC. Altered physical phenotypes of leukemia cells that survive chemotherapy treatment. Integr Biol (Camb) 2023; 15:7185561. [PMID: 37247849 DOI: 10.1093/intbio/zyad006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The recurrence of cancer following chemotherapy treatment is a major cause of death across solid and hematologic cancers. In B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), relapse after initial chemotherapy treatment leads to poor patient outcomes. Here we test the hypothesis that chemotherapy-treated versus control B-ALL cells can be characterized based on cellular physical phenotypes. To quantify physical phenotypes of chemotherapy-treated leukemia cells, we use cells derived from B-ALL patients that are treated for 7 days with a standard multidrug chemotherapy regimen of vincristine, dexamethasone, and L-asparaginase (VDL). We conduct physical phenotyping of VDL-treated versus control cells by tracking the sequential deformations of single cells as they flow through a series of micron-scale constrictions in a microfluidic device; we call this method Quantitative Cyclical Deformability Cytometry. Using automated image analysis, we extract time-dependent features of deforming cells including cell size and transit time (TT) with single-cell resolution. Our findings show that VDL-treated B-ALL cells have faster TTs and transit velocity than control cells, indicating that VDL-treated cells are more deformable. We then test how effectively physical phenotypes can predict the presence of VDL-treated cells in mixed populations of VDL-treated and control cells using machine learning approaches. We find that TT measurements across a series of sequential constrictions can enhance the classification accuracy of VDL-treated cells in mixed populations using a variety of classifiers. Our findings suggest the predictive power of cell physical phenotyping as a complementary prognostic tool to detect the presence of cells that survive chemotherapy treatment. Ultimately such complementary physical phenotyping approaches could guide treatment strategies and therapeutic interventions. Insight box Cancer cells that survive chemotherapy treatment are major contributors to patient relapse, but the ability to predict recurrence remains a challenge. Here we investigate the physical properties of leukemia cells that survive treatment with chemotherapy drugs by deforming individual cells through a series of micron-scale constrictions in a microfluidic channel. Our findings reveal that leukemia cells that survive chemotherapy treatment are more deformable than control cells. We further show that machine learning algorithms applied to physical phenotyping data can predict the presence of cells that survive chemotherapy treatment in a mixed population. Such an integrated approach using physical phenotyping and machine learning could be valuable to guide patient treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chau Ly
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Heather Ogana
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hye Na Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Samantha Hurwitz
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Eric J Deeds
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Yong-Mi Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Amy C Rowat
- Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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8
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Druzak S, Iffrig E, Roberts BR, Zhang T, Fibben KS, Sakurai Y, Verkerke HP, Rostad CA, Chahroudi A, Schneider F, Wong AKH, Roberts AM, Chandler JD, Kim SO, Mosunjac M, Mosunjac M, Geller R, Albizua I, Stowell SR, Arthur CM, Anderson EJ, Ivanova AA, Ahn J, Liu X, Maner-Smith K, Bowen T, Paiardini M, Bosinger SE, Roback JD, Kulpa DA, Silvestri G, Lam WA, Ortlund EA, Maier CL. Multiplatform analyses reveal distinct drivers of systemic pathogenesis in adult versus pediatric severe acute COVID-19. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1638. [PMID: 37015925 PMCID: PMC10073144 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37269-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The pathogenesis of multi-organ dysfunction associated with severe acute SARS-CoV-2 infection remains poorly understood. Endothelial damage and microvascular thrombosis have been identified as drivers of COVID-19 severity, yet the mechanisms underlying these processes remain elusive. Here we show alterations in fluid shear stress-responsive pathways in critically ill COVID-19 adults as compared to non-COVID critically ill adults using a multiomics approach. Mechanistic in-vitro studies, using microvasculature-on-chip devices, reveal that plasma from critically ill COVID-19 adults induces fibrinogen-dependent red blood cell aggregation that mechanically damages the microvascular glycocalyx. This mechanism appears unique to COVID-19, as plasma from non-COVID sepsis patients demonstrates greater red blood cell membrane stiffness but induces less significant alterations in overall blood rheology. Multiomics analyses in pediatric patients with acute COVID-19 or the post-infectious multi-inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) demonstrate little overlap in plasma cytokine and metabolite changes compared to adult COVID-19 patients. Instead, pediatric acute COVID-19 and MIS-C patients show alterations strongly associated with cytokine upregulation. These findings link high fibrinogen and red blood cell aggregation with endotheliopathy in adult COVID-19 patients and highlight differences in the key mediators of pathogenesis between adult and pediatric populations.
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Grants
- T32 GM142617 NIGMS NIH HHS
- P51 OD011132 NIH HHS
- R35 HL145000 NHLBI NIH HHS
- K99 HL150626 NHLBI NIH HHS
- T32 GM135060 NIGMS NIH HHS
- F31 DK126435 NIDDK NIH HHS
- R01 DK115213 NIDDK NIH HHS
- R38 AI140299 NIAID NIH HHS
- A F31 training fellowship from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH/NIDDK), F31DK126435, supported S.A.D during the duration of this work. Stimulating Access to Research in Residency of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R38AI140299 supported E.I. R35HL145000 supported E.I, Y.S, K.S.F and W.A.L. National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH/NHLBI) HL150658, awarded to J.D.C. A training grant supported by the Biochemistry and Cell Developmental Biology program (BCDB) at Emory university, T32GM135060-02S1, to S.O.K. NIH/NIDDK Grant R01-DK115213 and Winship Synergy Award to E.A.O. NIH/NHLBI K99 HL150626-01 awarded to C.L.M. The lipidomics and metabolomics experiments were supported by the Emory Integrated Metabolomics and Lipidomics Core, which is subsidized by the Emory University School of Medicine and is one of the Emory Integrated Core Facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Druzak
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Iffrig
- Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Blaine R Roberts
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tiantian Zhang
- Emory Integrated Metabolomics and Lipidomics Core, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kirby S Fibben
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yumiko Sakurai
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Hans P Verkerke
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Christina A Rostad
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ann Chahroudi
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Frank Schneider
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Andrew Kam Ho Wong
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Anne M Roberts
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Joshua D Chandler
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Susan O Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mario Mosunjac
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Marina Mosunjac
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Rachel Geller
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Decatur, GA, USA
| | - Igor Albizua
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Sean R Stowell
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Connie M Arthur
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Evan J Anderson
- Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Anna A Ivanova
- Emory Integrated Metabolomics and Lipidomics Core, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jun Ahn
- Emory Integrated Metabolomics and Lipidomics Core, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Xueyun Liu
- Emory Integrated Metabolomics and Lipidomics Core, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kristal Maner-Smith
- Emory Integrated Metabolomics and Lipidomics Core, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Thomas Bowen
- Emory Integrated Metabolomics and Lipidomics Core, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mirko Paiardini
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Steve E Bosinger
- Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - John D Roback
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Deanna A Kulpa
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for AIDS Research, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Guido Silvestri
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Emory Vaccine Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Center for AIDS Research, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Wilbur A Lam
- Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Eric A Ortlund
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Emory Integrated Metabolomics and Lipidomics Core, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Cheryl L Maier
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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9
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Ojaghi A, Kendall Williams E, Kaza N, Gorti V, Choi H, Torey J, Wiley T, Turner B, Jackson S, Park S, Lam WA, Robles FE. Label-free deep-UV microscopy detection and grading of neutropenia using a passive microfluidic device. OPTICS LETTERS 2022; 47:6005-6008. [PMID: 37219158 DOI: 10.1364/ol.472691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Neutropenia is a condition comprising an abnormally low number of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, which puts patients at an increased risk of severe infections. Neutropenia is especially common among cancer patients and can disrupt their treatment or even be life-threatening in severe cases. Therefore, routine monitoring of neutrophil counts is crucial. However, the current standard of care to assess neutropenia, the complete blood count (CBC), is resource-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive, thereby limiting easy or timely access to critical hematological information such as neutrophil counts. Here, we present a simple technique for fast, label-free neutropenia detection and grading via deep-ultraviolet (deep-UV) microscopy of blood cells in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based passive microfluidic devices. The devices can potentially be manufactured in large quantities at a low cost, requiring only 1 μL of whole blood for operation. We show that the absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) obtained from our proposed microfluidic device-enabled deep-UV microscopy system are highly correlated with those from CBCs using commercial hematology analyzers in patients with moderate and severe neutropenia, as well as healthy donors. This work lays the foundation for the development of a compact, easy-to-use UV microscope system to track neutrophil counts that is suitable for low-resource, at-home, or point-of-care settings.
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10
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Kang YJ, Serhrouchni S, Makhro A, Bogdanova A, Lee SS. Simple Assessment of Red Blood Cell Deformability Using Blood Pressure in Capillary Channels for Effective Detection of Subpopulations in Red Blood Cells. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:38576-38588. [PMID: 36340168 PMCID: PMC9631408 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c04027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Assessment of red blood cell (RBC) deformability as a biomarker requires expensive equipment to induce and monitor deformation. In this study, we present a simple method for quantifying RBC deformability. We designed a microfluidic channel consisting of a micropillar channel and a coflowing channel connected in series. When blood (loading volume = 100 μL) was injected continuously into the device under constant pressure (1 bar), we monitored the boundary position of the blood and the reference flow in the coflowing channel. A decrease in the deformability of RBCs results in a growing pressure drop in the micropillar channel, which is mirrored by a decrease in blood pressure in the coflowing channel. Analysis of this temporal variation in blood pressure allowed us to define the clogging index (CI) as a new marker of RBC deformability. As a result of the analytical study and numerical simulation, we have demonstrated that the coflowing channel may serve as a pressure sensor that allows the measurement of blood pressure with accuracy. We have shown experimentally that a higher hematocrit level (i.e., more than 40%) does not have a substantial influence on CI. The CI tended to increase to a higher degree in glutaraldehyde-treated hardened RBCs. Furthermore, we were able to resolve the difference in deformability of RBCs between two different RBC density subfractions in human blood. In summary, our approach using CI provides reliable information on the deformability of RBCs, which is comparable to the readouts obtained by ektacytometry. We believe that our microfluidic device would be a useful tool for evaluating the deformability of RBCs, which does not require expensive instruments (e.g., high-speed camera) or time-consuming micro-PIV analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Jun Kang
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Chosun University, Gwangju501-759, Republic of Korea
| | - Sami Serhrouchni
- Institute
of Veterinary Physiology, University of
Zürich, Zürich8057, Switzerland
| | - Asya Makhro
- Institute
of Veterinary Physiology, University of
Zürich, Zürich8057, Switzerland
| | - Anna Bogdanova
- Institute
of Veterinary Physiology, University of
Zürich, Zürich8057, Switzerland
- Center
for Clinical Studies (ZKS), Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zürich, Zürich8006, Switzerland
| | - Sung Sik Lee
- Scientific
Center for Optical and Electron Microscopy, ETH Zürich, Zürich8093, Switzerland
- Department
of Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, ETH
Zürich, Zürich8093, Switzerland
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11
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Matei AE, Kubánková M, Xu L, Györfi AH, Boxberger E, Soteriou D, Papava M, Prater J, Hong X, Bergmann C, Kräter M, Schett G, Guck J, Distler JHW. Identification of a Distinct Monocyte-Driven Signature in Systemic Sclerosis Using Biophysical Phenotyping of Circulating Immune Cells. Arthritis Rheumatol 2022; 75:768-781. [PMID: 36281753 DOI: 10.1002/art.42394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Pathologically activated circulating immune cells, including monocytes, play major roles in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Their functional characterization can provide crucial information with direct clinical relevance. However, tools for the evaluation of pathologic immune cell activation and, in general, of clinical outcomes in SSc are scarce. Biophysical phenotyping (including characterization of cell mechanics and morphology) provides access to a novel, mostly unexplored layer of information regarding pathophysiologic immune cell activation. We hypothesized that the biophysical phenotyping of circulating immune cells, reflecting their pathologic activation, can be used as a clinical tool for the evaluation and risk stratification of patients with SSc. METHODS We performed biophysical phenotyping of circulating immune cells by real-time fluorescence and deformability cytometry (RT-FDC) in 63 SSc patients, 59 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, 28 antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) patients, and 22 age- and sex-matched healthy donors. RESULTS We identified a specific signature of biophysical properties of circulating immune cells in SSc patients that was mainly driven by monocytes. Since it is absent in RA and AAV, this signature reflects an SSc-specific monocyte activation rather than general inflammation. The biophysical properties of monocytes indicate current disease activity, the extent of skin or lung fibrosis, and the severity of manifestations of microvascular damage, as well as the risk of disease progression in SSc patients. CONCLUSION Changes in the biophysical properties of circulating immune cells reflect their pathologic activation in SSc patients and are associated with clinical outcomes. As a high-throughput approach that requires minimal preparations, RT-FDC-based biophysical phenotyping of monocytes can serve as a tool for the evaluation and risk stratification of patients with SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandru-Emil Matei
- Department of Rheumatology and Hiller Research Unit, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany, and Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology and Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Markéta Kubánková
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Center für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany, and Biotechnology Center, Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Liyan Xu
- Department of Rheumatology and Hiller Research Unit, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany, and Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology and Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Andrea-Hermina Györfi
- Department of Rheumatology and Hiller Research Unit, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany, and Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology and Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Evgenia Boxberger
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology and Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Despina Soteriou
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Center für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Maria Papava
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology and Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Julia Prater
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology and Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Xuezhi Hong
- Department of Rheumatology and Hiller Research Unit, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany, and Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology and Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christina Bergmann
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology and Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Martin Kräter
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Center für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany, and Biotechnology Center, Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Georg Schett
- Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology and Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jochen Guck
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Center für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany, and Biotechnology Center, Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jörg H W Distler
- Department of Rheumatology and Hiller Research Unit, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany, and Department of Internal Medicine 3-Rheumatology and Immunology and Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany
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12
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Liang M, Zhong J, Ai Y. A Systematic Study of Size Correlation and Young's Modulus Sensitivity for Cellular Mechanical Phenotyping by Microfluidic Approaches. Adv Healthc Mater 2022; 11:e2200628. [PMID: 35852381 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202200628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Cellular mechanical properties are a class of intrinsic biophysical markers for cell state and health. Microfluidic mechanical phenotyping methods have emerged as promising tools to overcome the challenges of low throughput and high demand for manual skills in conventional approaches. In this work, two types of microfluidic cellular mechanical phenotyping methods, contactless hydro-stretching deformability cytometry (lh-DC) and contact constriction deformability cytometry (cc-DC) are comprehensively studied and compared. Polymerized hydrogel beads with defined sizes are used to characterize a strong negative correlation between size and deformability in cc-DC (r = -0.95), while lh-DC presents a weak positive correlation (r = 0.13). Young's modulus sensitivity in cc-DC is size-dependent while it is a constant in lh-DC. Moreover, the deformability assessment for human breast cell line mixture suggests the lh-DC exhibits better differentiation capability of cells with different size distributions, while cc-DC provides higher sensitivity to identify cellular mechanical changes within a single cell line. This work is the first to present a quantitative study and comparison of size correlation and Young's modulus sensitivity of contactless and contact microfluidic mechanical phenotyping methods, which provides guidance to choose the most suitable cellular mechanical phenotyping platform for specific cell analysis applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minhui Liang
- Pillar of Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore
| | - Jianwei Zhong
- Pillar of Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore
| | - Ye Ai
- Pillar of Engineering Product Development, Singapore University of Technology and Design, 8 Somapah Road, Singapore, 487372, Singapore
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13
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Su Z, Chen Z, Ma K, Chen H, Ho JWK. Molecular determinants of intrinsic cellular stiffness in health and disease. Biophys Rev 2022; 14:1197-1209. [PMID: 36345276 PMCID: PMC9636357 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-022-00997-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the role of intrinsic biophysical features, especially cellular stiffness, in diverse cellular and disease processes is being increasingly recognized. New high throughput techniques for the quantification of cellular stiffness facilitate the study of their roles in health and diseases. In this review, we summarized recent discovery about how cellular stiffness is involved in cell stemness, tumorigenesis, and blood diseases. In addition, we review the molecular mechanisms underlying the gene regulation of cellular stiffness in health and disease progression. Finally, we discussed the current understanding on how the cytoskeleton structure and the regulation of these genes contribute to cellular stiffness, highlighting where the field of cellular stiffness is headed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zezhuo Su
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR China
- Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health Limited (D24H), Hong Kong Science Park, Hong Kong, SAR China
| | - Zhenlin Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, SAR China
| | - Kun Ma
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR China
- Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health Limited (D24H), Hong Kong Science Park, Hong Kong, SAR China
| | - Huaying Chen
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518055 China
| | - Joshua W. K. Ho
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR China
- Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health Limited (D24H), Hong Kong Science Park, Hong Kong, SAR China
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14
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Chen Y, Guo K, Jiang L, Zhu S, Ni Z, Xiang N. Microfluidic deformability cytometry: A review. Talanta 2022; 251:123815. [DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2022.123815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2022] [Revised: 07/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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15
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Besedina NA, Skverchinskaya EA, Shmakov SV, Ivanov AS, Mindukshev IV, Bukatin AS. Persistent red blood cells retain their ability to move in microcapillaries under high levels of oxidative stress. Commun Biol 2022; 5:659. [PMID: 35787676 PMCID: PMC9253111 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03620-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxidative stress is one of the key factors that leads to red blood cells (RBCs) aging, and impairs their biomechanics and oxygen delivery. It occurs during numerous pathological processes and causes anaemia, one of the most frequent side effects of cancer chemotherapy. Here, we used microfluidics to simulate the microcirculation of RBCs under oxidative stress induced by tert-Butyl hydroperoxide. Oxidative stress was expected to make RBCs more rigid, which would lead to decrease their transit velocity in microfluidic channels. However, single-cell tracking combined with cytological and AFM studies reveals cell heterogeneity, which increases with the level of oxidative stress. The data indicates that the built-in antioxidant defence system has a limit exceeding which haemoglobin oxidation, membrane, and cytoskeleton transformation occurs. It leads to cell swelling, increased stiffness and adhesion, resulting in a decrease in the transit velocity in microcapillaries. However, even at high levels of oxidative stress, there are persistent cells in the population with an undisturbed biophysical phenotype that retain the ability to move in microcapillaries. Developed microfluidic analysis can be used to determine RBCs' antioxidant capacity for the minimization of anaemia during cancer chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Alexander S Ivanov
- Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
| | - Igor V Mindukshev
- Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry of the RAS, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
| | - Anton S Bukatin
- Department of Physics, Alferov University, Saint-Petersburg, Russia. .,Institute for Analytical Instrumentation of the RAS, Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
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16
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Abstract
Microfluidics has enabled a new era of cellular and molecular assays due to the small length scales, parallelization, and the modularity of various analysis and actuation functions. Droplet microfluidics, in particular, has been instrumental in providing new tools for biology with its ability to quickly and reproducibly generate drops that act as individual reactors. A notable beneficiary of this technology has been single-cell RNA sequencing, which has revealed new heterogeneities and interactions for the fundamental unit of life. However, viruses far surpass the diversity of cellular life, affect the dynamics of all ecosystems, and are a chronic source of global health crises. Despite their impact on the world, high-throughput and high-resolution viral profiling has been difficult, with conventional methods being limited to population-level averaging, large sample volumes, and few cultivable hosts. Consequently, most viruses have not been identified and studied. Droplet microfluidics holds the potential to address many of these limitations and offers new levels of sensitivity and throughput for virology. This Feature highlights recent efforts that have applied droplet microfluidics to the detection and study of viruses, including for diagnostics, virus-host interactions, and cell-independent virus assays. In combination with traditional virology methods, droplet microfluidics should prove a potent tool toward achieving a better understanding of the most abundant biological species on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyang Jing
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Hee-Sun Han
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.,Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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17
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Label-free multi-step microfluidic device for mechanical characterization of blood cells: Diabetes type II. MICRO AND NANO ENGINEERING 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mne.2022.100149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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18
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Walther A, Mackens-Kiani A, Eder J, Herbig M, Herold C, Kirschbaum C, Guck J, Wittwer LD, Beesdo-Baum K, Kräter M. Depressive disorders are associated with increased peripheral blood cell deformability: a cross-sectional case-control study (Mood-Morph). Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:150. [PMID: 35396373 PMCID: PMC8990596 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01911-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathophysiological landmarks of depressive disorders are chronic low-grade inflammation and elevated glucocorticoid output. Both can potentially interfere with cytoskeleton organization, cell membrane bending and cell function, suggesting altered cell morpho-rheological properties like cell deformability and other cell mechanical features in depressive disorders. We performed a cross-sectional case-control study using the image-based morpho-rheological characterization of unmanipulated blood samples facilitating real-time deformability cytometry (RT-DC). Sixty-nine pre-screened individuals at high risk for depressive disorders and 70 matched healthy controls were included and clinically evaluated by Composite International Diagnostic Interview leading to lifetime and 12-month diagnoses. Facilitating deep learning on blood cell images, major blood cell types were classified and morpho-rheological parameters such as cell size and cell deformability of every individual cell was quantified. We found peripheral blood cells to be more deformable in patients with depressive disorders compared to controls, while cell size was not affected. Lifetime persistent depressive disorder was associated with increased cell deformability in monocytes and neutrophils, while in 12-month persistent depressive disorder erythrocytes deformed more. Lymphocytes were more deformable in 12-month major depressive disorder, while for lifetime major depressive disorder no differences could be identified. After correction for multiple testing, only associations for lifetime persistent depressive disorder remained significant. This is the first study analyzing morpho-rheological properties of entire blood cells and highlighting depressive disorders and in particular persistent depressive disorders to be associated with increased blood cell deformability. While all major blood cells tend to be more deformable, lymphocytes, monocytes, and neutrophils are mostly affected. This indicates that immune cell mechanical changes occur in depressive disorders, which might be predictive of persistent immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Walther
- Biopsychology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany. .,Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Anne Mackens-Kiani
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Biopsychology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Julian Eder
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Biopsychology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Maik Herbig
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Biotechnology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany ,grid.419562.d0000 0004 0374 4283Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Christoph Herold
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Biotechnology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany ,Zellmechanik Dresden GmbH, Dresden, Germany
| | - Clemens Kirschbaum
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Biopsychology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jochen Guck
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Biotechnology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany ,grid.419562.d0000 0004 0374 4283Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Lucas Daniel Wittwer
- grid.419562.d0000 0004 0374 4283Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany ,grid.434947.90000 0004 0643 2840Faculty of Informatics/Mathematics, HTW Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Katja Beesdo-Baum
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Behavioral Epidemiology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Martin Kräter
- grid.4488.00000 0001 2111 7257Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Biotechnology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany ,grid.419562.d0000 0004 0374 4283Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany
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19
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Matthews K, Lamoureux ES, Myrand-Lapierre ME, Duffy SP, Ma H. Technologies for measuring red blood cell deformability. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:1254-1274. [PMID: 35266475 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc01058a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Human red blood cells (RBCs) are approximately 8 μm in diameter, but must repeatedly deform through capillaries as small as 2 μm in order to deliver oxygen to all parts of the body. The loss of this capability is associated with the pathology of many diseases, and is therefore a potential biomarker for disease status and treatment efficacy. Measuring RBC deformability is a difficult problem because of the minute forces (∼pN) that must be exerted on these cells, as well as the requirements for throughput and multiplexing. The development of technologies for measuring RBC deformability date back to the 1960s with the development of micropipette aspiration, ektacytometry, and the cell transit analyzer. In the past 10 years, significant progress has been made using microfluidics by leveraging the ability to precisely control fluid flow through microstructures at the size scale of individual RBCs. These technologies have now surpassed traditional methods in terms of sensitivity, throughput, consistency, and ease of use. As a result, these efforts are beginning to move beyond feasibility studies and into applications to enable biomedical discoveries. In this review, we provide an overview of both traditional and microfluidic techniques for measuring RBC deformability. We discuss the capabilities of each technique and compare their sensitivity, throughput, and robustness in measuring bulk and single-cell RBC deformability. Finally, we discuss how these tools could be used to measure changes in RBC deformability in the context of various applications including pathologies caused by malaria and hemoglobinopathies, as well as degradation during storage in blood bags prior to blood transfusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerryn Matthews
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Erik S Lamoureux
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Marie-Eve Myrand-Lapierre
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Simon P Duffy
- Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- British Columbia Institute of Technology, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hongshen Ma
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, 2054-6250 Applied Science Lane, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Urologic Science, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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20
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Sun W, Gao X, Lei H, Wang W, Cao Y. Biophysical Approaches for Applying and Measuring Biological Forces. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2105254. [PMID: 34923777 PMCID: PMC8844594 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202105254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decades, increasing evidence has indicated that mechanical loads can regulate the morphogenesis, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of living cells. Investigations of how cells sense mechanical stimuli or the mechanotransduction mechanism is an active field of biomaterials and biophysics. Gaining a further understanding of mechanical regulation and depicting the mechanotransduction network inside cells require advanced experimental techniques and new theories. In this review, the fundamental principles of various experimental approaches that have been developed to characterize various types and magnitudes of forces experienced at the cellular and subcellular levels are summarized. The broad applications of these techniques are introduced with an emphasis on the difficulties in implementing these techniques in special biological systems. The advantages and disadvantages of each technique are discussed, which can guide readers to choose the most suitable technique for their questions. A perspective on future directions in this field is also provided. It is anticipated that technical advancement can be a driving force for the development of mechanobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxu Sun
- School of SciencesNantong UniversityNantong226019P. R. China
| | - Xiang Gao
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and IntegrationNational Laboratory of Solid State Microstructureand Department of PhysicsCollaborative Innovation Center of Advanced MicrostructuresNanjing UniversityNanjing210023P. R. China
- Institute of Brain ScienceNanjing UniversityNanjing210023P. R. China
| | - Hai Lei
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and IntegrationNational Laboratory of Solid State Microstructureand Department of PhysicsCollaborative Innovation Center of Advanced MicrostructuresNanjing UniversityNanjing210023P. R. China
- Institute of Brain ScienceNanjing UniversityNanjing210023P. R. China
- Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation CenterNanjing UniversityNanjing210023P. R. China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and IntegrationNational Laboratory of Solid State Microstructureand Department of PhysicsCollaborative Innovation Center of Advanced MicrostructuresNanjing UniversityNanjing210023P. R. China
- Institute of Brain ScienceNanjing UniversityNanjing210023P. R. China
| | - Yi Cao
- Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and IntegrationNational Laboratory of Solid State Microstructureand Department of PhysicsCollaborative Innovation Center of Advanced MicrostructuresNanjing UniversityNanjing210023P. R. China
- Institute of Brain ScienceNanjing UniversityNanjing210023P. R. China
- MOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and TechnologyDepartment of Polymer Science & EngineeringCollege of Chemistry & Chemical EngineeringNanjing UniversityNanjing210023P. R. China
- Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation CenterNanjing UniversityNanjing210023P. R. China
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21
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Besedina NA, Skverchinskaya EA, Ivanov AS, Kotlyar KP, Morozov IA, Filatov NA, Mindukshev IV, Bukatin AS. Microfluidic Characterization of Red Blood Cells Microcirculation under Oxidative Stress. Cells 2021; 10:cells10123552. [PMID: 34944060 PMCID: PMC8700079 DOI: 10.3390/cells10123552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Microcirculation is one of the basic functional processes where the main gas exchange between red blood cells (RBCs) and surrounding tissues occurs. It is greatly influenced by the shape and deformability of RBCs, which can be affected by oxidative stress induced by different drugs and diseases leading to anemia. Here we investigated how in vitro microfluidic characterization of RBCs transit velocity in microcapillaries can indicate cells damage and its correlation with clinical hematological analysis. For this purpose, we compared an SU-8 mold with an Si-etched mold for fabrication of PDMS microfluidic devices and quantitatively figured out that oxidative stress induced by tert-Butyl hydroperoxide splits all RBCs into two subpopulations of normal and slow cells according to their transit velocity. Obtained results agree with the hematological analysis showing that such changes in RBCs velocities are due to violations of shape, volume, and increased heterogeneity of the cells. These data show that characterization of RBCs transport in microfluidic devices can directly reveal violations of microcirculation caused by oxidative stress. Therefore, it can be used for characterization of the ability of RBCs to move in microcapillaries, estimating possible side effects of cancer chemotherapy, and predicting the risk of anemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadezhda A. Besedina
- Laboratory of Renewable Energy Sources, Alferov Saint Petersburg National Research Academic University of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 194021 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (N.A.B.); (K.P.K.); (I.A.M.); (N.A.F.)
| | - Elisaveta A. Skverchinskaya
- Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 194223 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (E.A.S.); (I.V.M.)
| | - Alexander S. Ivanov
- Institute of Physics and Mechanics, Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University, 195251 Saint-Petersburg, Russia;
| | - Konstantin P. Kotlyar
- Laboratory of Renewable Energy Sources, Alferov Saint Petersburg National Research Academic University of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 194021 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (N.A.B.); (K.P.K.); (I.A.M.); (N.A.F.)
- Institute for Analytical Instrumentation of the RAS, 190103 Saint-Petersburg, Russia
| | - Ivan A. Morozov
- Laboratory of Renewable Energy Sources, Alferov Saint Petersburg National Research Academic University of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 194021 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (N.A.B.); (K.P.K.); (I.A.M.); (N.A.F.)
| | - Nikita A. Filatov
- Laboratory of Renewable Energy Sources, Alferov Saint Petersburg National Research Academic University of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 194021 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (N.A.B.); (K.P.K.); (I.A.M.); (N.A.F.)
| | - Igor V. Mindukshev
- Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 194223 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (E.A.S.); (I.V.M.)
| | - Anton S. Bukatin
- Laboratory of Renewable Energy Sources, Alferov Saint Petersburg National Research Academic University of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 194021 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (N.A.B.); (K.P.K.); (I.A.M.); (N.A.F.)
- Institute for Analytical Instrumentation of the RAS, 190103 Saint-Petersburg, Russia
- Correspondence:
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22
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Choi G, Tang Z, Guan W. Microfluidic high-throughput single-cell mechanotyping: Devices and
applications. NANOTECHNOLOGY AND PRECISION ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.1063/10.0006042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gihoon Choi
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802,
USA
| | - Zifan Tang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802,
USA
| | - Weihua Guan
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802,
USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802,
USA
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23
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Hobson CM, Falvo MR, Superfine R. A survey of physical methods for studying nuclear mechanics and mechanobiology. APL Bioeng 2021; 5:041508. [PMID: 34849443 PMCID: PMC8604565 DOI: 10.1063/5.0068126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
It is increasingly appreciated that the cell nucleus is not only a home for DNA but also a complex material that resists physical deformations and dynamically responds to external mechanical cues. The molecules that confer mechanical properties to nuclei certainly contribute to laminopathies and possibly contribute to cellular mechanotransduction and physical processes in cancer such as metastasis. Studying nuclear mechanics and the downstream biochemical consequences or their modulation requires a suite of complex assays for applying, measuring, and visualizing mechanical forces across diverse length, time, and force scales. Here, we review the current methods in nuclear mechanics and mechanobiology, placing specific emphasis on each of their unique advantages and limitations. Furthermore, we explore important considerations in selecting a new methodology as are demonstrated by recent examples from the literature. We conclude by providing an outlook on the development of new methods and the judicious use of the current techniques for continued exploration into the role of nuclear mechanobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael R. Falvo
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Richard Superfine
- Department of Applied Physical Science, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
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24
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Terada M, Ide S, Naito T, Kimura N, Matsusaki M, Kaji N. Label-Free Cancer Stem-like Cell Assay Conducted at a Single Cell Level Using Microfluidic Mechanotyping Devices. Anal Chem 2021; 93:14409-14416. [PMID: 34628861 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c02316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The mechanical phenotype of cells is an intrinsic property of individual cells. In fact, this property could serve as a label-free, non-destructive, diagnostic marker of the state of cells owing to its remarkable translational potential. A microfluidic device is a strong candidate for meeting the demand of this translational research as it can be used to diagnose a large population of cells at a single cell level in a high-throughput manner, without the need for off-line pretreatment operations. In this study, we investigated the mechanical phenotype of the human colon adenocarcinoma cell, HT29, which is known to be a heterogeneous cell line with both multipotency and self-renewal abilities. This type of cancer stem-like cell (CSC) is believed to be the unique originators of all tumor cells and may serve as the leading cause of cancer metastasis and drug resistance. By combining consecutive constrictions and microchannels with an ionic current sensing system, we found a high heterogeneity of cell deformability in the population of HT29 cells. Moreover, based on the level of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity and the expression level of CD44s, which are biochemical markers that suggest the multipotency of cells, the high heterogeneity of cell deformability was concluded to be a potential mechanical marker of CSCs. The development of label-free and non-destructive identification and collection techniques for CSCs has remarkable potential not only for cancer diagnosis and prognosis but also for the discovery of a new treatment for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miyu Terada
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Sachiko Ide
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Toyohiro Naito
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Niko Kimura
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Michiya Matsusaki
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Noritada Kaji
- Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.,Institute of Nano-Life-Systems, Institutes of Innovation for Future Society, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan
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25
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Abstract
Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) has emerged as a versatile tool for studies of interfaces in biology and materials science with notable utility in biophysical and electrochemical measurements. The heart of the SICM is a nanometer-scale electrolyte filled glass pipette that serves as a scanning probe. In the initial conception, manipulations of ion currents through the tip of the pipette and appropriate positioning hardware provided a route to recording micro- and nanoscopic mapping of the topography of surfaces. Subsequent advances in instrumentation, probe design, and methods significantly increased opportunities for SICM beyond recording topography. Hybridization of SICM with coincident characterization techniques such as optical microscopy and faradaic electrodes have brought SICM to the forefront as a tool for nanoscale chemical measurement for a wide range of applications. Modern approaches to SICM realize an important tool in analytical, bioanalytical, biophysical, and materials measurements, where significant opportunities remain for further exploration. In this review, we chronicle the development of SICM from the perspective of both the development of instrumentation and methods and the breadth of measurements performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Kaixiang Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Natasha P Siepser
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Lane A Baker
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, 800 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
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26
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Hamza B, Miller AB, Meier L, Stockslager M, Ng SR, King EM, Lin L, DeGouveia KL, Mulugeta N, Calistri NL, Strouf H, Bray C, Rodriguez F, Freed-Pastor WA, Chin CR, Jaramillo GC, Burger ML, Weinberg RA, Shalek AK, Jacks T, Manalis SR. Measuring kinetics and metastatic propensity of CTCs by blood exchange between mice. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5680. [PMID: 34584084 PMCID: PMC8479082 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25917-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Existing preclinical methods for acquiring dissemination kinetics of rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) en route to forming metastases have not been capable of providing a direct measure of CTC intravasation rate and subsequent half-life in the circulation. Here, we demonstrate an approach for measuring endogenous CTC kinetics by continuously exchanging CTC-containing blood over several hours between un-anesthetized, tumor-bearing mice and healthy, tumor-free counterparts. By tracking CTC transfer rates, we extrapolated half-life times in the circulation of between 40 and 260 s and intravasation rates between 60 and 107,000 CTCs/hour in mouse models of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Additionally, direct transfer of only 1-2% of daily-shed CTCs using our blood-exchange technique from late-stage, SCLC-bearing mice generated macrometastases in healthy recipient mice. We envision that our technique will help further elucidate the role of CTCs and the rate-limiting steps in metastasis.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Blood Transfusion/methods
- Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/blood
- Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology
- Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal/blood
- Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal/pathology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Humans
- Kinetics
- Lung Neoplasms/blood
- Lung Neoplasms/pathology
- Mice, 129 Strain
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, Transgenic
- Neoplasm Metastasis
- Neoplastic Cells, Circulating/pathology
- Pancreatic Neoplasms/blood
- Pancreatic Neoplasms/pathology
- Propensity Score
- RNA-Seq/methods
- Single-Cell Analysis/methods
- Small Cell Lung Carcinoma/blood
- Small Cell Lung Carcinoma/pathology
- Mice
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Affiliation(s)
- Bashar Hamza
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alex B Miller
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard-MIT Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lara Meier
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Oncology, Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation with Section Pneumology, Hubertus Wald Comprehensive Cancer Center Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Tumor Biology, Center of Experimental Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Max Stockslager
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sheng Rong Ng
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Emily M King
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lin Lin
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kelsey L DeGouveia
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nolawit Mulugeta
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Nicholas L Calistri
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Haley Strouf
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Christina Bray
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Felicia Rodriguez
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - William A Freed-Pastor
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christopher R Chin
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Grissel C Jaramillo
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Megan L Burger
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Robert A Weinberg
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alex K Shalek
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Harvard-MIT Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tyler Jacks
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Scott R Manalis
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Ludwig Center at MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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27
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Stone NE, Raj A, Young KM, DeLuca AP, Chrit FE, Tucker BA, Alexeev A, McDonald J, Benigno BB, Sulchek T. Label-free microfluidic enrichment of cancer cells from non-cancer cells in ascites. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18032. [PMID: 34504124 PMCID: PMC8429413 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96862-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The isolation of a patient's metastatic cancer cells is the first, enabling step toward treatment of that patient using modern personalized medicine techniques. Whereas traditional standard-of-care approaches select treatments for cancer patients based on the histological classification of cancerous tissue at the time of diagnosis, personalized medicine techniques leverage molecular and functional analysis of a patient's own cancer cells to select treatments with the highest likelihood of being effective. Unfortunately, the pure populations of cancer cells required for these analyses can be difficult to acquire, given that metastatic cancer cells typically reside in fluid containing many different cell populations. Detection and analyses of cancer cells therefore require separation from these contaminating cells. Conventional cell sorting approaches such as Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting or Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting rely on the presence of distinct surface markers on cells of interest which may not be known nor exist for cancer applications. In this work, we present a microfluidic platform capable of label-free enrichment of tumor cells from the ascites fluid of ovarian cancer patients. This approach sorts cells based on differences in biomechanical properties, and therefore does not require any labeling or other pre-sort interference with the cells. The method is also useful in the cases when specific surface markers do not exist for cells of interest. In model ovarian cancer cell lines, the method was used to separate invasive subtypes from less invasive subtypes with an enrichment of ~ sixfold. In ascites specimens from ovarian cancer patients, we found the enrichment protocol resulted in an improved purity of P53 mutant cells indicative of the presence of ovarian cancer cells. We believe that this technology could enable the application of personalized medicine based on analysis of liquid biopsy patient specimens, such as ascites from ovarian cancer patients, for quick evaluation of metastatic disease progression and determination of patient-specific treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas E Stone
- The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Abhishek Raj
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihar, 801103, India
| | - Katherine M Young
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 313 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0535, USA
| | - Adam P DeLuca
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Carver College of Medicine, Institute for Vision Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Fatima Ezahra Chrit
- The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Budd A Tucker
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Carver College of Medicine, Institute for Vision Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
| | - Alexander Alexeev
- The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - John McDonald
- School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 313 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0405, USA
| | | | - Todd Sulchek
- The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.
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28
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Wei M, Zhang F, Zhang R, Lin JM, Yang N. High-Throughput Characterization of Cell Adhesion Strength Using Long-Channel Constriction-Based Microfluidics. ACS Sens 2021; 6:2838-2844. [PMID: 34279900 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.1c01037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The adhesion strength of a cancer cell is a valuable biophysical marker of its metastatic potential, tightly associated with various metastatic processes; for example, cancer cells escape from a primary tumor, and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are anchored to the vessel wall. Although constriction-based microfluidics can realize the high-throughput characterization of single-cell deformability, due to the influence of cell size heterogeneity, accurately evaluating the adhesion strength of a cancer cell at high throughputs in constriction remains difficult. In this paper, we first proposed an approach for the assessment of adhesion strength of BGC-823 and SGC-7901 cell lines at high throughputs based on a friction coefficient using the constant velocity stage of cell transit in a long-channel constriction. Cell size was proven to be independent of adhesion strength by cell detachment assay; however, it has large effects on cell transit velocity in constriction. Therefore, the linear elasticity of a completely deformed cell in constriction is simplified as a compressed spring model, effectively reducing the influence of cell size heterogeneity. Theoretically, our proposed model can well offset the influence of cell size by cell transit velocity, while our experimental results indicate that the friction coefficient has a good linear relationship with the logarithm of the adhesion strength too. Therefore, our proposed approach can realize accurate characterization of cell adhesion strength at high throughputs using long-channel constriction-based microfluidics. Hence, this work might enrich the functions of constriction-based microfluidics and bring new insights into the characterization of mechanical phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingji Wei
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Fei Zhang
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
| | - Rongbiao Zhang
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
| | - Jin-Ming Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Ning Yang
- School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
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29
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Chen Z, Yip TF, Zhu Y, Ho JWK, Chen H. The method to quantify cell elasticity based on the precise measurement of pressure inducing cell deformation in microfluidic channels. MethodsX 2021; 8:101247. [PMID: 34434770 PMCID: PMC8374187 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2021.101247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The cell elasticity has attracted extensive research interests since it not only provides new insights into cell biology but also is an emerging mechanical marker for the diagnosis of some diseases. This paper reports the method for the precise measurement of mechanical properties of single cells deformed to a large extent using a novel microfluidic system integrated with a pressure feedback system and small particle separation unit. The particle separation system was employed to avoid the blockage of the cell deformation channel to enhance the measurement throughput. This system is of remarkable application potential in the precise evaluation of cell mechanical properties. In brief, this paper reports:The manufacturing of the chip using standard soft lithography; The methods to deform single cells in a microchannel and measure the relevant pressure drop using a pressure sensor connecting to the microfluidic chip; Calculation of the mechanical properties including stiffness and fluidity of each cell based on a power-law rheology model describing the viscoelastic behaviors of cells; Automatic and real-time measurement of the mechanical properties using video processing software.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenlin Chen
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Tsz Fung Yip
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Hong Kong, China.,Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health Limited (D24H), Hong Kong Science Park, New Territory, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yonggang Zhu
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Joshua W K Ho
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Hong Kong, China.,Laboratory of Data Discovery for Health Limited (D24H), Hong Kong Science Park, New Territory, Hong Kong, China
| | - Huaying Chen
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China
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30
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Liu Y, Zhang Y, Cui M, Zhao X, Sun M, Zhao X. A Cell's Viscoelasticity Measurement Method Based on the Spheroidization Process of Non-Spherical Shaped Cell. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 21:5561. [PMID: 34451003 PMCID: PMC8401595 DOI: 10.3390/s21165561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The mechanical properties of biological cells, especially the elastic modulus and viscosity of cells, have been identified to reflect cell viability and cell states. The existing measuring techniques need additional equipment or operation condition. This paper presents a cell's viscoelasticity measurement method based on the spheroidization process of non-spherical shaped cell. The viscoelasticity of porcine fetal fibroblast was measured. Firstly, we introduced the process of recording the spheroidization process of porcine fetal fibroblast. Secondly, we built the viscoelastic model for simulating a cell's spheroidization process. Then, we simulated the spheroidization process of porcine fetal fibroblast and got the simulated spheroidization process. By identifying the parameters in the viscoelastic model, we got the elasticity (500 Pa) and viscosity (10 Pa·s) of porcine fetal fibroblast. The results showed that the magnitude of the elasticity and viscosity were in agreement with those measured by traditional method. To verify the accuracy of the proposed method, we imitated the spheroidization process with silicone oil, a kind of viscous and uniform liquid with determined viscosity. We did the silicone oil's spheroidization experiment and simulated this process. The simulation results also fitted the experimental results well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaowei Liu
- Institute of Robotics and Automatic Information System, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China; (Y.L.); (Y.Z.); (X.Z.); (M.S.)
| | - Yujie Zhang
- Institute of Robotics and Automatic Information System, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China; (Y.L.); (Y.Z.); (X.Z.); (M.S.)
| | - Maosheng Cui
- Institute of Animal Sciences, Tianjin 300112, China;
| | - Xiangfei Zhao
- Institute of Robotics and Automatic Information System, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China; (Y.L.); (Y.Z.); (X.Z.); (M.S.)
| | - Mingzhu Sun
- Institute of Robotics and Automatic Information System, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China; (Y.L.); (Y.Z.); (X.Z.); (M.S.)
| | - Xin Zhao
- Institute of Robotics and Automatic Information System, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China; (Y.L.); (Y.Z.); (X.Z.); (M.S.)
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31
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Kubánková M, Hohberger B, Hoffmanns J, Fürst J, Herrmann M, Guck J, Kräter M. Physical phenotype of blood cells is altered in COVID-19. Biophys J 2021; 120:2838-2847. [PMID: 34087216 PMCID: PMC8169220 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical syndrome coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is characterized by rapid spreading and high mortality worldwide. Although the pathology is not yet fully understood, hyperinflammatory response and coagulation disorders leading to congestions of microvessels are considered to be key drivers of the still-increasing death toll. Until now, physical changes of blood cells have not been considered to play a role in COVID-19 related vascular occlusion and organ damage. Here, we report an evaluation of multiple physical parameters including the mechanical features of five frequent blood cell types, namely erythrocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, and eosinophils. More than four million blood cells of 17 COVID-19 patients at different levels of severity, 24 volunteers free from infectious or inflammatory diseases, and 14 recovered COVID-19 patients were analyzed. We found significant changes in lymphocyte stiffness, monocyte size, neutrophil size and deformability, and heterogeneity of erythrocyte deformation and size. Although some of these changes recovered to normal values after hospitalization, others persisted for months after hospital discharge, evidencing the long-term imprint of COVID-19 on the body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markéta Kubánková
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Bettina Hohberger
- Department of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jakob Hoffmanns
- Department of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Julia Fürst
- Department of Internal Medicine 1, University Medical Center Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Martin Herrmann
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, University Medical Center Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany; Deutsches Zentrum Immuntherapie, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jochen Guck
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany; Department of Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
| | - Martin Kräter
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany
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32
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Hymel SJ, Fujioka H, Khismatullin DB. Modeling of Deformable Cell Separation in a Microchannel with Sequenced Pillars. ADVANCED THEORY AND SIMULATIONS 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/adts.202100086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Scott J. Hymel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Tulane University New Orleans LA 70118 USA
| | - Hideki Fujioka
- Center for Computational Science Tulane University New Orleans LA 70118 USA
| | - Damir B. Khismatullin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering Tulane University New Orleans LA 70118 USA
- Center for Computational Science Tulane University New Orleans LA 70118 USA
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33
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Stracuzzi A, Dittmann J, Böl M, Ehret AE. Visco- and poroelastic contributions of the zona pellucida to the mechanical response of oocytes. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2021; 20:751-765. [PMID: 33533999 PMCID: PMC7979617 DOI: 10.1007/s10237-020-01414-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Probing mechanical properties of cells has been identified as a means to infer information on their current state, e.g. with respect to diseases or differentiation. Oocytes have gained particular interest, since mechanical parameters are considered potential indicators of the success of in vitro fertilisation procedures. Established tests provide the structural response of the oocyte resulting from the material properties of the cell's components and their disposition. Based on dedicated experiments and numerical simulations, we here provide novel insights on the origin of this response. In particular, polarised light microscopy is used to characterise the anisotropy of the zona pellucida, the outermost layer of the oocyte composed of glycoproteins. This information is combined with data on volumetric changes and the force measured in relaxation/cyclic, compression/indentation experiments to calibrate a multi-phasic hyper-viscoelastic model through inverse finite element analysis. These simulations capture the oocyte's overall force response, the distinct volume changes observed in the zona pellucida, and the structural alterations interpreted as a realignment of the glycoproteins with applied load. The analysis reveals the presence of two distinct timescales, roughly separated by three orders of magnitude, and associated with a rapid outflow of fluid across the external boundaries and a long-term, progressive relaxation of the glycoproteins, respectively. The new results allow breaking the overall response down into the contributions from fluid transport and the mechanical properties of the zona pellucida and ooplasm. In addition to the gain in fundamental knowledge, the outcome of this study may therefore serve an improved interpretation of the data obtained with current methods for mechanical oocyte characterisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Stracuzzi
- Institute for Mechanical Systems, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Dittmann
- Institute of Mechanics and Adaptronics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany
| | - Markus Böl
- Institute of Mechanics and Adaptronics, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany.
| | - Alexander E Ehret
- Institute for Mechanical Systems, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
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34
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Li Y, Liu X, Huang Q, Ohta AT, Arai T. Bubbles in microfluidics: an all-purpose tool for micromanipulation. LAB ON A CHIP 2021; 21:1016-1035. [PMID: 33538756 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc01173h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, the integration of microfluidic devices and multiple actuation technologies at the microscale has greatly contributed to the progress of related fields. In particular, microbubbles are playing an increasingly important role in microfluidics because of their unique characteristics that lead to specific responses to different energy sources and gas-liquid interactions. Many effective and functional bubble-based micromanipulation strategies have been developed and improved, enabling various non-invasive, selective, and precise operations at the microscale. This review begins with a brief introduction of the morphological characteristics and formation of microbubbles. The theoretical foundations and working mechanisms of typical micromanipulations based on acoustic, thermodynamic, and chemical microbubbles in fluids are described. We critically review the extensive applications and the frontline advances of bubbles in microfluidics, including microflow patterns, position and orientation control, biomedical applications, and development of bubble-based microrobots. We lastly present an outlook to provide directions for the design and application of microbubble-based micromanipulation tools and attract the attention of relevant researchers to the enormous potential of microbubbles in microfluidics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyang Li
- Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Robots and Systems, Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Control and Decision of Complex System, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
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35
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Graybill PM, Bollineni RK, Sheng Z, Davalos RV, Mirzaeifar R. A constriction channel analysis of astrocytoma stiffness and disease progression. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2021; 15:024103. [PMID: 33763160 PMCID: PMC7968935 DOI: 10.1063/5.0040283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Studies have demonstrated that cancer cells tend to have reduced stiffness (Young's modulus) compared to their healthy counterparts. The mechanical properties of primary brain cancer cells, however, have remained largely unstudied. To investigate whether the stiffness of primary brain cancer cells decreases as malignancy increases, we used a microfluidic constriction channel device to deform healthy astrocytes and astrocytoma cells of grade II, III, and IV and measured the entry time, transit time, and elongation. Calculating cell stiffness directly from the experimental measurements is not possible. To overcome this challenge, finite element simulations of the cell entry into the constriction channel were used to train a neural network to calculate the stiffness of the analyzed cells based on their experimentally measured diameter, entry time, and elongation in the channel. Our study provides the first calculation of stiffness for grades II and III astrocytoma and is the first to apply a neural network analysis to determine cell mechanical properties from a constriction channel device. Our results suggest that the stiffness of astrocytoma cells is not well-correlated with the cell grade. Furthermore, while other non-central-nervous-system cell types typically show reduced stiffness of malignant cells, we found that most astrocytoma cell lines had increased stiffness compared to healthy astrocytes, with lower-grade astrocytoma having higher stiffness values than grade IV glioblastoma. Differences in nucleus-to-cytoplasm ratio only partly explain differences in stiffness values. Although our study does have limitations, our results do not show a strong correlation of stiffness with cell grade, suggesting that other factors may play important roles in determining the invasive capability of astrocytoma. Future studies are warranted to further elucidate the mechanical properties of astrocytoma across various pathological grades.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - R. K. Bollineni
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
| | - Z. Sheng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Virginia Tech Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Roanoke, Virginia 24016, USA
| | - R. V. Davalos
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: and
| | - R. Mirzaeifar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: and
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36
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Yang Y, Geng J, Zhang H, Chen C, Li W, Qian Z, Li S. Image-guided simulation in comparison with laser speckle contrast imaging for full-field observation of blood flow in a microvasculature model. Microvasc Res 2021; 133:104092. [PMID: 33007315 DOI: 10.1016/j.mvr.2020.104092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The in vitro reconstruction of the microvascular network model provides a reproducible platform for hemodynamic study with great biological relevance. In the present study, microvascular models with different parametric features were designed under the guidance of Murray's law and derived from representative natural vascular network topography in vivo. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to numerically simulate blood velocity distributions inside of the designed microvasculature models. Full-field blood flow in the vascular network was visualized in vivo using a laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) system, from which the measured relative velocity was compared with CFD computed flow distribution. The results have shown that, in comparison with the simplified flow patterns obtained from idealized geometries, the irregular vascular topography is expected to lead to nonuniform and poor regional blood velocity distribution. The velocity distribution acquired by in vivo LSCI experiment is in good agreement with that of numerical simulation, indicating the technical feasibility of using biomimetic microchannels as a reasonable approximation of the microcirculatory flow conditions. This study provides a new paradigm that can be well suited to the study of microvascular blood flow properties and can further expand to mimic other in-vivo scenarios for accurately recapitulating the physical and hemodynamic environment of the microcirculation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamin Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China.
| | - Jinfa Geng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Chunxiao Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Weitao Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Zhiyu Qian
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
| | - Siwen Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
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37
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Fortier H, Gies V, Variola F, Wang C, Zou S. Probing arsenic trioxide (ATO) treated leukemia cell elasticities using atomic force microscopy. ANALYTICAL METHODS : ADVANCING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS 2020; 12:4734-4741. [PMID: 32968751 DOI: 10.1039/d0ay01017k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Conventional analytical techniques allow for the diagnosis of leukemia, blood and bone marrow cancers, as well as their classification into the different subtypes. However, a better understanding of the cancer treatment through cell apoptosis staging is still required. Evaluation of the timeline and responses of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cells to the arsenic trioxide (ATO) treatment is essential for determining the oral dosage in leukemia prognosis. Here, an Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) indentation approach has been used to evaluate the mechanical responses of cellular responses of APL cells to ATO treatment, alongside well-established cell viability assays, as a novel method to determine the impact of drugs. In addition, cell morphology was quantified to monitor cellular apoptosis. Viability, morphology and elasticity changes of NB4 cells (derived from Human APL patients) were correlated to different time courses of the ATO treatments. Unveiling the relationships among structural, morphological and nanomechanical properties in response to ATO drug treatment promises to pave the way for novel diagnostic tools for drug screening and for a better understanding of the specific physical and biological effects of drugs on diseased cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Fortier
- Metrology Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, K1A 0R6, Canada. and Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Valerie Gies
- Metrology Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, K1A 0R6, Canada.
| | - Fabio Variola
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Chen Wang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, M5X 1G5, Canada
| | - Shan Zou
- Metrology Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, K1A 0R6, Canada. and Department of Chemistry, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
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38
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Lu Z, Wang Z, Li D. Application of atomic force microscope in diagnosis of single cancer cells. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2020; 14:051501. [PMID: 32922587 PMCID: PMC7474552 DOI: 10.1063/5.0021592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Changes in mechanical properties of cells are closely related to a variety of diseases. As an advanced technology on the micro/nano scale, atomic force microscopy is the most suitable tool for information acquisition of living cells in human body fluids. AFMs are able to measure and characterize the mechanical properties of cells which can be used as effective markers to distinguish between different cell types and cells in different states (benign or cancerous). Therefore, they can be employed to obtain additional information to that obtained via the traditional biochemistry methods for better identifying and diagnosing cancer cells for humans, proposing better treatment methods and prognosis, and unravelling the pathogenesis of the disease. In this report, we review the use of AFMs in cancerous tissues, organs, and cancer cells cultured in vitro to obtain cellular mechanical properties, demonstrate and summarize the results of AFMs in cancer biology, and look forward to possible future applications and the direction of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengcheng Lu
- JR3CN and IRAC, University of Bedfordshire, Luton LU1 3JU, United Kingdom
| | - Zuobin Wang
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: and
| | - Dayou Li
- JR3CN and IRAC, University of Bedfordshire, Luton LU1 3JU, United Kingdom
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39
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Islam M, Raj A, McFarland B, Brink HM, Ciciliano J, Fay M, Myers DR, Flowers C, Waller EK, Lam W, Alexeev A, Sulchek T. Stiffness based enrichment of leukemia cells using microfluidics. APL Bioeng 2020; 4:036101. [PMID: 32637856 PMCID: PMC7332299 DOI: 10.1063/1.5143436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
To improve the survival rate of cancer patients, new diagnosis strategies are necessary to detect lower levels of cancer cells before and after treatment regimens. The scarcity of diseased cells, particularly in residual disease after treatment, demands highly sensitive detection approaches or the ability to enrich the diseased cells in relation to normal cells. We report a label-free microfluidic approach to enrich leukemia cells from healthy cells using inherent differences in cell biophysical properties. The microfluidic device consists of a channel with an array of diagonal ridges that recurrently compress and translate flowing cells in proportion to cell stiffness. Using devices optimized for acute T cell leukemia model Jurkat, the stiffer white blood cells were translated orthogonally to the channel length, while softer leukemia cells followed hydrodynamic flow. The device enriched Jurkat leukemia cells from white blood cells with an enrichment factor of over 760. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the device were found to be >0.8. The values of sensitivity and specificity could be adjusted by selecting one or multiple outlets for analysis. We demonstrate that low levels of Jurkat leukemia cells (1 in 104 white blood cells) could be more quickly detected using flow cytometry by using the stiffness sorting pre-enrichment. In a second mode of operation, the device was implemented to sort resistive leukemia cells from both drug-sensitive leukemia cells and normal white blood cells. Therefore, microfluidic biomechanical sorting can be a useful tool to enrich leukemia cells that may improve downstream analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhymin Islam
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 801 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0405, USA
| | - Abhishek Raj
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 801 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0405, USA
| | - Brynn McFarland
- The School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 310 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0535, USA
| | - Hannah Maxine Brink
- The School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, 310 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0535, USA
| | - Jordan Ciciliano
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 313 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0535, USA
| | - Meredith Fay
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 313 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0535, USA
| | - David Richard Myers
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 313 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0535, USA
| | - Christopher Flowers
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory School of Medicine, 1365 Clifton NE Rd.: Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
| | - Edmund K Waller
- Winship Cancer Institute, Emory School of Medicine, 1365 Clifton NE Rd.: Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA
| | - Wilbur Lam
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 313 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0535, USA
| | - Alexander Alexeev
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 801 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0405, USA
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40
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Chen Z, Zhu Y, Xu D, Alam MM, Shui L, Chen H. Cell elasticity measurement using a microfluidic device with real-time pressure feedback. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:2343-2353. [PMID: 32463051 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc00092b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The study of cell elasticity provides new insights into not only cell biology but also disease diagnosis based on cell mechanical state variation. Microfluidic technologies have made noticeable progress in studying cell deformation with capabilities of high throughput and automation. This paper reports the development of a novel microfluidic system to precisely measure the elasticity of cells having large deformation in a constriction channel. It integrated i) a separation unit to isolate rod- or flake-shaped particles that might block the constriction channel to increase the measurement throughput and ii) a pressure feedback system precisely detecting the pressure drop inducing the deformation of each cell. The fluid dynamics of the separation unit was modeled to understand the separation mechanism before the experimental determination of separation efficiency. Afterward, the pressure system was characterized to demonstrate its sensitivity and reproducibility in measuring the subtle pressure drop along a constriction channel. Finally, the microfluidic system was employed to study the stiffness of both K562 and endothelial cells. The cell protrusion and pressure drop were employed to calculate the mechanical properties based on a power-law rheology model describing the viscoelastic behaviors of cells. Both the stiffness and the fluidity of K562 and endothelial cells were consistent with those in previous studies. The system has remarkable application potential in the precise evaluation of cell mechanical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenlin Chen
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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41
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Link A, Franke T. Acoustic erythrocytometer for mechanically probing cell viscoelasticity. LAB ON A CHIP 2020; 20:1991-1998. [PMID: 32367091 DOI: 10.1039/c9lc00999j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate an acoustic device to mechanically probe a population of red blood cells at the single cell level. The device operates by exciting a surface acoustic wave in a microfluidic channel creating a stationary acoustic wave field of nodes and antinodes. Erythrocytes are attracted to the nodes and are deformed. Using a stepwise increasing and periodically oscillating acoustic field we study the static and dynamic deformation of individual red blood cells one by one. We quantify the deformation by the Taylor deformation index D and relaxation times τ1 and τ2 that reveal both the viscous and elastic properties of the cells. The precision of the measurement allows us to distinguish between individual cells in the suspension and provides a quantitative viscoelastic fingerprint of the blood sample at single cell resolution. The method overcomes limitations of other techniques that provide averaged values and has the potential for high-throughput.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Link
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Oakfield Avenue, G12 8LT, Glasgow, UK.
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42
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Urbanska M, Muñoz HE, Shaw Bagnall J, Otto O, Manalis SR, Di Carlo D, Guck J. A comparison of microfluidic methods for high-throughput cell deformability measurements. Nat Methods 2020; 17:587-593. [PMID: 32341544 PMCID: PMC7275893 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-020-0818-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The mechanical phenotype of a cell is an inherent biophysical marker of its state and function, with many applications in basic and applied biological research. Microfluidics-based methods have enabled single-cell mechanophenotyping at throughputs comparable to those of flow cytometry. Here, we present a standardized cross-laboratory study comparing three microfluidics-based approaches for measuring cell mechanical phenotype: constriction-based deformability cytometry (cDC), shear flow deformability cytometry (sDC) and extensional flow deformability cytometry (xDC). All three methods detect cell deformability changes induced by exposure to altered osmolarity. However, a dose-dependent deformability increase upon latrunculin B-induced actin disassembly was detected only with cDC and sDC, which suggests that when exposing cells to the higher strain rate imposed by xDC, cellular components other than the actin cytoskeleton dominate the response. The direct comparison presented here furthers our understanding of the applicability of the different deformability cytometry methods and provides context for the interpretation of deformability measurements performed using different platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Urbanska
- Biotechnology Center, Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Hector E Muñoz
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Josephine Shaw Bagnall
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Oliver Otto
- Biotechnology Center, Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Zentrum für Innovationskompetenz: Humorale Immunreaktionen in kardiovaskulären Erkrankungen, Universität Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Scott R Manalis
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Dino Di Carlo
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Jochen Guck
- Biotechnology Center, Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light and Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany.
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43
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Bashant KR, Toepfner N, Day CJ, Mehta NN, Kaplan MJ, Summers C, Guck J, Chilvers ER. The mechanics of myeloid cells. Biol Cell 2020; 112:103-112. [DOI: 10.1111/boc.201900084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen R Bashant
- Department of MedicineUniversity of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- Systemic Autoimmunity BranchNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin DiseasesNational Institutes of Health Bethesda Maryland USA
| | - Nicole Toepfner
- Center for Molecular and Cellular BioengineeringBiotechnology Center, Technische Universität Dresden Dresden Germany
- Department of PediatricsUniversity Clinic Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden Dresden Germany
| | | | - Nehal N Mehta
- National Heart Lung and Blood InstituteNational Institutes of Health Bethesda MD USA
| | - Mariana J Kaplan
- Systemic Autoimmunity BranchNational Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin DiseasesNational Institutes of Health Bethesda Maryland USA
| | | | - Jochen Guck
- Max‐Planck‐Institut für die Physik des Lichts & Max‐Planck‐Zentrum für Physik und Medizin Erlangen Germany
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44
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Kang YJ. Simultaneous measurement method of erythrocyte sedimentation rate and erythrocyte deformability in resource-limited settings. Physiol Meas 2020; 41:025009. [PMID: 32000147 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6579/ab71f3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The individual effects of plasma and red blood cells (RBCs) on the biophysical properties of blood can be monitored by measuring the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and RBC deformability simultaneously. However, the previous methods require bulky and expensive facilities (i.e. microscope, high-speed camera, and syringe pump) to deliver blood or capture blood flows. APPROACH To resolve these issues, a simple method for sequential measurement of the ESR and RBC deformability is demonstrated by quantifying the cell-free volume (V CF ), cell-rich volume (V CR ), and blood volume (V B ) inside an air-compressed syringe (ACS). A microfluidic device consists of multiple micropillar channels, an inlet, and outlet. After the ACS is filled with air (V air = 0.4 ml) and a blood sample (V B = 0.6 ml, hematocrit = 30%) sequentially, the ACS is fitted into the inlet. The cavity inside the ACS is compressed to V comp = 0.4 ml after closing the outlet with a stopper. A smartphone camera is employed to capture variations in the V CF , V CR , and V B inside the ACS. The ESR index suggested in this study (ESR PM ) is obtained by dividing the V CF (t = t 1) with an elapse of t 1. By removing the stopper, ΔV B (ΔV B = V B [t = t 1] - V B ) is obtained and fitted as a two-term exponential model ([Formula: see text]. As a performance demonstration, the proposed method is employed to detect an ESR-enhanced blood sample, homogeneous hardened blood sample, and heterogeneous blood sample. MAIN RESULTS From the experimental results, it is found that the proposed method has the ability to detect various bloods by quantifying the ESR PM and two coefficients (a, b) simultaneously. SIGNIFICANCE In conclusion, the present method can be effectively used to measure the ESR and RBC deformability in resource-limited settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Jun Kang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chosun University, 309 Pilmun-daero, Dong-gu, Gwangju 61452, Republic of Korea
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45
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Hu L, Ni F, Wang X, Fay ME, Young KM, Lam WA, Sulchek TA, Qu CK. Decreased cell stiffness enhances leukemia development and progression. Leukemia 2020; 34:2493-2497. [PMID: 32094464 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-020-0763-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Linping Hu
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Winship Cancer Institute, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Fang Ni
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Winship Cancer Institute, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Xinyi Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Winship Cancer Institute, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Meredith E Fay
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Winship Cancer Institute, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.,The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Katherine M Young
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Wilbur A Lam
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Winship Cancer Institute, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.,The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Todd A Sulchek
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA.,Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332, USA
| | - Cheng-Kui Qu
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Winship Cancer Institute, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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46
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Choi G, Nouri R, Zarzar L, Guan W. Microfluidic deformability-activated sorting of single particles. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2020; 6:11. [PMID: 34567626 PMCID: PMC8433438 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-019-0107-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical properties have emerged as a significant label-free marker for characterizing deformable particles such as cells. Here, we demonstrated the first single-particle-resolved, cytometry-like deformability-activated sorting in the continuous flow on a microfluidic chip. Compared with existing deformability-based sorting techniques, the microfluidic device presented in this work measures the deformability and immediately sorts the particles one-by-one in real time. It integrates the transit-time-based deformability measurement and active hydrodynamic sorting onto a single chip. We identified the critical factors that affect the sorting dynamics by modeling and experimental approaches. We found that the device throughput is determined by the summation of the sensing, buffering, and sorting time. A total time of ~100 ms is used for analyzing and sorting a single particle, leading to a throughput of 600 particles/min. We synthesized poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel beads as the deformability model for device validation and performance evaluation. A deformability-activated sorting purity of 88% and an average efficiency of 73% were achieved. We anticipate that the ability to actively measure and sort individual particles one-by-one in a continuous flow would find applications in cell-mechanotyping studies such as correlational studies of the cell mechanical phenotype and molecular mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gihoon Choi
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Reza Nouri
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Lauren Zarzar
- Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
- Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Weihua Guan
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
- Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
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47
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Song Y, Soto J, Chen B, Yang L, Li S. Cell engineering: Biophysical regulation of the nucleus. Biomaterials 2020; 234:119743. [PMID: 31962231 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2019.119743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Cells live in a complex and dynamic microenvironment, and a variety of microenvironmental cues can regulate cell behavior. In addition to biochemical signals, biophysical cues can induce not only immediate intracellular responses, but also long-term effects on phenotypic changes such as stem cell differentiation, immune cell activation and somatic cell reprogramming. Cells respond to mechanical stimuli via an outside-in and inside-out feedback loop, and the cell nucleus plays an important role in this process. The mechanical properties of the nucleus can directly or indirectly modulate mechanotransduction, and the physical coupling of the cell nucleus with the cytoskeleton can affect chromatin structure and regulate the epigenetic state, gene expression and cell function. In this review, we will highlight the recent progress in nuclear biomechanics and mechanobiology in the context of cell engineering, tissue remodeling and disease development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Song
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; School of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China
| | - Jennifer Soto
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Binru Chen
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Li Yang
- School of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China
| | - Song Li
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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48
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Disease diagnostics using hydrodynamic flow focusing in microfluidic devices: Beyond flow cytometry. Biomed Eng Lett 2020; 10:241-257. [PMID: 32431954 DOI: 10.1007/s13534-019-00144-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 11/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The multi-disciplinary field of microfluidics has the potential to provide solutions to a diverse set of problems. It offers the advantages of high-throughput, continuous, rapid and expeditious analysis requiring minute quantities of sample. However, even as this field has yielded many mass-manufacturable and cost-efficient point-of-care devices, its direct and practical applications into the field of disease diagnostics still remain limited and largely overlooked by the industry. This review focuses on the phenomenon of hydrodynamic focusing and its potential to materialize solutions for appropriate diagnosis and prognosis. The study aims to look beyond its intended cytometric applications and focus on unambiguous disease detection, monitoring, drug delivery, studies conducted on DNA and highlight the instances in the scientific literature that have proposed such approach.
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49
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50
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A Systematic Study on Transit Time and Its Impact on Accuracy of Concentration Measured by Microfluidic Devices. SENSORS 2019; 20:s20010014. [PMID: 31861439 PMCID: PMC6983024 DOI: 10.3390/s20010014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Gating or threshold selection is very important in analyzing data from a microflow cytometer, which is especially critical in analyzing weak signals from particles/cells with small sizes. It has been reported that using the amplitude gating alone may result in false positive events in analyzing data with a poor signal-to-noise ratio. Transit time (τ) can be set as a gating threshold along with side-scattered light or fluorescent light signals in the detection of particles/cells using a microflow cytometer. In this study, transit time of microspheres was studied systematically when the microspheres passed through a laser beam in a microflow cytometer and side-scattered light was detected. A clear linear relationship between the inverse of the average transit time and total flow rate was found. Transit time was used as another gate (other than the amplitude of side-scattering signals) to distinguish real scattering signals from noise. It was shown that the relative difference of the measured microsphere concentration can be reduced significantly from the range of 3.43%-8.77% to the range of 8.42%-111.76% by employing both amplitude and transit time as gates in analysis of collected scattering data. By using optimized transit time and amplitude gate thresholds, a good correlation with the traditional hemocytometer-based particle counting was achieved (R2 > 0.94). The obtained results suggest that the transit time could be used as another gate together with the amplitude gate to improve measurement accuracy of particle/cell concentration for microfluidic devices.
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