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Sethia N, Rao JS, Khashim Z, Schornack AMR, Etheridge ML, Peterson QP, Finger EB, Bischof JC, Dutcher CS. On Chip Sorting of Stem Cell-Derived β Cell Clusters Using Traveling Surface Acoustic Waves. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40. [PMID: 38318799 PMCID: PMC10883307 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c02934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
There is a critical need for sorting complex materials, such as pancreatic islets of Langerhans, exocrine acinar tissues, and embryoid bodies. These materials are cell clusters, which have highly heterogeneous physical properties (such as size, shape, morphology, and deformability). Selecting such materials on the basis of specific properties can improve clinical outcomes and help advance biomedical research. In this work, we focused on sorting one such complex material, human stem cell-derived β cell clusters (SC-β cell clusters), by size. For this purpose, we developed a microfluidic device in which an image detection system was coupled to an actuation mechanism based on traveling surface acoustic waves (TSAWs). SC-β cell clusters of varying size (∼100-500 μm in diameter) were passed through the sorting device. Inside the device, the size of each cluster was estimated from their bright-field images. After size identification, larger clusters, relative to the cutoff size for separation, were selectively actuated using TSAW pulses. As a result of this selective actuation, smaller and larger clusters exited the device from different outlets. At the current sample dilutions, the experimental sorting efficiency ranged between 78% and 90% for a separation cutoff size of 250 μm, yielding sorting throughputs of up to 0.2 SC-β cell clusters/s using our proof-of-concept design. The biocompatibility of this sorting technique was also established, as no difference in SC-β cell cluster viability due to TSAW pulse usage was found. We conclude the proof-of-concept sorting work by discussing a few ways to optimize sorting of SC-β cell clusters for potentially higher sorting efficiency and throughput. This sorting technique can potentially help in achieving a better distribution of islets for clinical islet transplantation (a potential cure for type 1 diabetes). Additionally, the use of this technique for sorting islets can help in characterizing islet biophysical properties by size and selecting suitable islets for improved islet cryopreservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikhil Sethia
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Joseph Sushil Rao
- Division
of Solid Organ Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Schulze
Diabetes Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Zenith Khashim
- Department
of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, United States
| | - Anna Marie R. Schornack
- Department
of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, United States
| | - Michael L. Etheridge
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Quinn P. Peterson
- Department
of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, United States
- Center for
Regenerative Biotherapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, United States
| | - Erik B. Finger
- Division
of Solid Organ Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - John C. Bischof
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Cari S. Dutcher
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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Ding L, Oh S, Shrestha J, Lam A, Wang Y, Radfar P, Warkiani ME. Scaling up stem cell production: harnessing the potential of microfluidic devices. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 69:108271. [PMID: 37844769 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108271] [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: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Stem cells are specialised cells characterised by their unique ability to both self-renew and transform into a wide array of specialised cell types. The widespread interest in stem cells for regenerative medicine and cultivated meat has led to a significant demand for these cells in both research and practical applications. Despite the growing need for stem cell manufacturing, the industry faces significant obstacles, including high costs for equipment and maintenance, complicated operation, and low product quality and yield. Microfluidic technology presents a promising solution to the abovementioned challenges. As an innovative approach for manipulating liquids and cells within microchannels, microfluidics offers a plethora of advantages at an industrial scale. These benefits encompass low setup costs, ease of operation and multiplexing, minimal energy consumption, and the added advantage of being labour-free. This review presents a thorough examination of the prominent microfluidic technologies employed in stem cell research and explores their promising applications in the burgeoning stem cell industry. It thoroughly examines how microfluidics can enhance cell harvesting from tissue samples, facilitate mixing and cryopreservation, streamline microcarrier production, and efficiently conduct cell separation, purification, washing, and final cell formulation post-culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Ding
- Smart MCs Pty Ltd, Ultimo, Sydney, 2007, Australia.
| | - Steve Oh
- Stem Cell Group, Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138668, Singapore
| | - Jesus Shrestha
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Alan Lam
- Stem Cell Group, Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138668, Singapore
| | - Yaqing Wang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Suzhou Institute for Advanced Research, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Payar Radfar
- Smart MCs Pty Ltd, Ultimo, Sydney, 2007, Australia
| | - Majid Ebrahimi Warkiani
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia..
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3
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Au Ieong KI, Yang C, Wong CT, Shui AC, Wu TTY, Chen TH, Lam RHW. Investigation of Drug Cocktail Effects on Cancer Cell-Spheroids Using a Microfluidic Drug-Screening Assay. MICROMACHINES 2017. [PMCID: PMC6189953 DOI: 10.3390/mi8060167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Development of drugs based on potential anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agents has been hindered by its necessary tedious procedures and failure in the clinical trials because of unbearable toxicity and extremely low clinical efficacy. One of the technical challenges is the mismatch between laboratory settings and human body environments for the cancer cells responding upon treatments of the anti-cancer agents. This major limitation urges for applying more reliable platforms for evaluating drugs with a higher throughput and cell aggregates in a more natural configuration. Here, we adopt a microfluidic device integrated with a differential micromixer and multiple microwell-containing channels (50 microwells per channel) for parallel screening of suspending cell spheroids treated by drugs with different combinations. We optimize the culture conditions of the surfactant-coated microwells in order to facilitate the spheroid formation of the breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231). We propose a new drug cocktail combined with three known chemotherapeutic agents (paclitaxel, epirubicin, and aspirin) for the drug screening of the cancer cell-spheroids. Our results exhibit the differential responses between planar cell layers in traditional culture wells and cell-spheroids grown in our microfluidic device, in terms of the apoptotic rates under treatments of the drug cocktails with different concentrations. These results reveal a distinct drug resistance between planar cell layers and cell-spheroids. Together, this work offers important guidelines on applying the cell-spheroid microfluidic cultures for development of more efficacious anticancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ka I. Au Ieong
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (K.I.A.I.); (C.Y.); (C.T.W.); (A.C.S.); (T.T.Y.W.); (T.-H.C.)
| | - Chengpeng Yang
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (K.I.A.I.); (C.Y.); (C.T.W.); (A.C.S.); (T.T.Y.W.); (T.-H.C.)
| | - Chin To Wong
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (K.I.A.I.); (C.Y.); (C.T.W.); (A.C.S.); (T.T.Y.W.); (T.-H.C.)
| | - Angelie C. Shui
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (K.I.A.I.); (C.Y.); (C.T.W.); (A.C.S.); (T.T.Y.W.); (T.-H.C.)
| | - Tom T. Y. Wu
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (K.I.A.I.); (C.Y.); (C.T.W.); (A.C.S.); (T.T.Y.W.); (T.-H.C.)
| | - Ting-Hsuan Chen
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (K.I.A.I.); (C.Y.); (C.T.W.); (A.C.S.); (T.T.Y.W.); (T.-H.C.)
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Raymond H. W. Lam
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; (K.I.A.I.); (C.Y.); (C.T.W.); (A.C.S.); (T.T.Y.W.); (T.-H.C.)
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen 518057, China
- Centre for Biosystems, Neuroscience, and Nanotechnology, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +852-3442-8577
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Deterministic bead-in-droplet ejection utilizing an integrated plug-in bead dispenser for single bead-based applications. Sci Rep 2017; 7:46260. [PMID: 28393911 PMCID: PMC5385560 DOI: 10.1038/srep46260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper presents a deterministic bead-in-droplet ejection (BIDE) technique that regulates the precise distribution of microbeads in an ejected droplet. The deterministic BIDE was realized through the effective integration of a microfluidic single-particle handling technique with a liquid dispensing system. The integrated bead dispenser facilitates the transfer of the desired number of beads into a dispensing volume and the on-demand ejection of bead-encapsulated droplets. Single bead–encapsulated droplets were ejected every 3 s without any failure. Multiple-bead dispensing with deterministic control of the number of beads was demonstrated to emphasize the originality and quality of the proposed dispensing technique. The dispenser was mounted using a plug-socket type connection, and the dispensing process was completely automated using a programmed sequence without any microscopic observation. To demonstrate a potential application of the technique, bead-based streptavidin–biotin binding assay in an evaporating droplet was conducted using ultralow numbers of beads. The results evidenced the number of beads in the droplet crucially influences the reliability of the assay. Therefore, the proposed deterministic bead-in-droplet technology can be utilized to deliver desired beads onto a reaction site, particularly to reliably and efficiently enrich and detect target biomolecules.
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Yamada M, Seko W, Yanai T, Ninomiya K, Seki M. Slanted, asymmetric microfluidic lattices as size-selective sieves for continuous particle/cell sorting. LAB ON A CHIP 2017; 17:304-314. [PMID: 27975084 DOI: 10.1039/c6lc01237j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Hydrodynamic microfluidic platforms have been proven to be useful and versatile for precisely sorting particles/cells based on their physicochemical properties. In this study, we demonstrate that a simple lattice-shaped microfluidic pattern can work as a virtual sieve for size-dependent continuous particle sorting. The lattice is composed of two types of microchannels ("main channels" and "separation channels"). These channels cross each other in a perpendicular fashion, and are slanted against the macroscopic flow direction. The difference in the densities of these channels generates an asymmetric flow distribution at each intersection. Smaller particles flow along the streamline, whereas larger particles are filtered and gradually separated from the stream, resulting in continuous particle sorting. We successfully sorted microparticles based on size with high accuracy, and clearly showed that geometric parameters, including the channel density and the slant angle, critically affect the sorting behaviors of particles. Leukocyte sorting and monocyte purification directly from diluted blood samples have been demonstrated as biomedical applications. The presented system for particle/cell sorting would become a simple but versatile unit operation in microfluidic apparatus for chemical/biological experiments and manipulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masumi Yamada
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan.
| | - Wataru Seko
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan.
| | - Takuma Yanai
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan.
| | - Kasumi Ninomiya
- Asahi Kasei Corp, 2-1 Samejima, Fuji-shi, Shizuoka 416-8501, Japan
| | - Minoru Seki
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522, Japan.
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7
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Li S, Ma F, Bachman H, Cameron CE, Zeng X, Huang TJ. Acoustofluidic bacteria separation. JOURNAL OF MICROMECHANICS AND MICROENGINEERING : STRUCTURES, DEVICES, AND SYSTEMS 2017; 27. [PMID: 28798539 PMCID: PMC5546156 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6439/27/1/015031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial separation from human blood samples can help with the identification of pathogenic bacteria for sepsis diagnosis. In this work, we report an acoustofluidic device for label-free bacterial separation from human blood samples. In particular, we exploit the acoustic radiation force generated from a tilted-angle standing surface acoustic wave (taSSAW) field to separate E. coli from human blood cells based on their size difference. Flow cytometry analysis of the E. coli separated from red blood cells (RBCs) shows a purity of more than 96%. Moreover, the label-free electrochemical detection of the separated E. coli displays reduced non-specific signals due to the removal of blood cells. Our acoustofluidic bacterial separation platform has advantages such as label-free separation, high biocompatibility, flexibility, low cost, miniaturization, automation, and ease of in-line integration. The platform can be incorporated with an on-chip sensor to realize a point-of-care (POC) sepsis diagnostic device.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sixing Li
- The Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Biosciences (MCIBS) Graduate Program, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Fen Ma
- Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Hunter Bachman
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Craig E Cameron
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Xiangqun Zeng
- Department of Chemistry, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
| | - Tony Jun Huang
- The Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Biosciences (MCIBS) Graduate Program, The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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8
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Yalikun Y, Kanda Y, Morishima K. A Method of Three-Dimensional Micro-Rotational Flow Generation for Biological Applications. MICROMACHINES 2016; 7:E140. [PMID: 30404312 PMCID: PMC6190094 DOI: 10.3390/mi7080140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Revised: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
We report a convenient method to create a three-dimensional micro-rotational fluidic platform for biological applications in the direction of a vertical plane (out-of-plane) without contact in an open space. Unlike our previous complex fluidic manipulation system, this method uses a micro-rotational flow generated near a single orifice when the solution is pushed from the orifice by using a single pump. The three-dimensional fluidic platform shows good potential for fluidic biological applications such as culturing, stimulating, sorting, and manipulating cells. The pattern and velocity of the micro-rotational flow can be controlled by tuning the parameters such as the flow rate and the liquid-air interface height. We found that bio-objects captured by the micro-rotational flow showed self-rotational motion and orbital motion. Furthermore, the path length and position, velocity, and pattern of the orbital motion of the bio-object could be controlled. To demonstrate our method, we used embryoid body cells. As a result, the orbital motion had a maximum length of 2.4 mm, a maximum acceleration of 0.63 m/s², a frequency of approximately 0.45 Hz, a maximum velocity of 15.4 mm/s, and a maximum rotation speed of 600 rpm. The capability to have bio-objects rotate or move orbitally in three dimensions without contact opens up new research opportunities in three-dimensional microfluidic technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxiaer Yalikun
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
- Laboratory for Integrated Biodevice, Quantitative Biology Center, RIKEN, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Yasunari Kanda
- Division of Pharmacology, National Institute of Health Sciences, 1-18-1 Kamiyoga, Setagaya, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan.
| | - Keisuke Morishima
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
- Global Center for Advanced Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
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ABEDINI HASSAN, MOVAHED SAEID, ABOLFATHI NABIOLLAH. NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF PRESSURE-INDUCED CELL PRINTING. J MECH MED BIOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1142/s0219519415500657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Nowadays, because of great biomedical applications of state-of-the art prototyping (bio-printing), many studies have been conducted in this field with focus on three-dimensional prototyping. There are several mechanisms for bio-printing of live cells such as piezoelectric and thermal and pneumatic inkjeting systems. Cell viability should be preserved during the bio-printing process. Lots of researches have been carried out to investigate and compare cell viability through different prototyping mechanisms. In order to quantify percentage of the cells that are killed during the proto-typing process, applied stresses on the cell and consequently its deformation should be calculated. A maximum strain energy density that the cell can tolerate is reported in the range of 25 Kj ⋅ m-3 to 100 Kj ⋅ m-3. This can be considered as a criteria to find the percentage of the damaged cells during the bio-printing processes. In this study, the bio-printing of the cell has been modeled and the cell viability have been investigated. Firstly, it is shown that in modeling of the bio-printing process, the effects of dynamic flow on calculating the applied stress on the cell is not negligible and must be considered. In the next step, the percentage of damaged endothelial cell aggregate under 80 kPa applied pressure (64 MPa/m) and 200 micron nozzle diameter is reported. Based on findings of this study, the percentage of endothelial cells viability under mentioned condition is reported 76%. The proposed method of this study can be utilized to examine the cell viability and performance of each prototyping systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- HASSAN ABEDINI
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, AmirKabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, Iran
| | - SAEID MOVAHED
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, AmirKabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, Iran
| | - NABIOLLAH ABOLFATHI
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, AmirKabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, Iran
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10
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Rat full term amniotic fluid harbors highly potent stem cells. Res Vet Sci 2015; 102:89-99. [PMID: 26412526 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2015.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2014] [Revised: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Amniotic fluid stem cells (AFSCs) are commonly isolated from mid-term amniotic fluid (AF) of animals and human collected via an invasive technique, amniocentesis. Alternatively, AFSCs could be collected at full-term. However, it is unclear whether AFSCs are present in the AF at full term. Here, we aimed to isolate and characterize stem cells isolated from AF of full term pregnant rats. Three stem cell lines have been established following immuno-selection against the stem cell marker, c-kit. Two of the new lines expressed multiple markers of pluripotency until more than passage 90. Further, they spontaneously differentiated into derivatives of the three primary germ layers through the formation of good quality embryoid bodies (EBs), and can be directly differentiated into neural lineage. Their strong stemness and potent neurogenic properties highlight the presence of highly potent stem cells in AF of full-term pregnancies, which could serve as a potential source of stem cells for regenerative medicine.
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Wilson JL, Suri S, Singh A, Rivet CA, Lu H, McDevitt TC. Single-cell analysis of embryoid body heterogeneity using microfluidic trapping array. Biomed Microdevices 2014; 16:79-90. [PMID: 24085533 PMCID: PMC3945678 DOI: 10.1007/s10544-013-9807-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The differentiation of pluripotent stem cells as embryoid bodies (EBs) remains a common method for inducing differentiation toward many lineages. However, differentiation via EBs typically yields a significant amount of heterogeneity in the cell population, as most cells differentiate simultaneously toward different lineages, while others remain undifferentiated. Moreover, physical parameters, such as the size of EBs, can modulate the heterogeneity of differentiated phenotypes due to the establishment of nutrient and oxygen gradients. One of the challenges in examining the cellular composition of EBs is the lack of analytical methods that are capable of determining the phenotype of all of the individual cells that comprise a single EB. Therefore, the objective of this work was to examine the ability of a microfluidic cell trapping array to analyze the heterogeneity of cells comprising EBs during the course of early differentiation. The heterogeneity of single cell phenotype on the basis of protein expression of the pluripotent transcription factor OCT-4 was examined for populations of EBs and single EBs of different sizes at distinct stages of differentiation. Results from the cell trap device were compared with flow cytometry and whole mount immunostaining. Additionally, single cells from dissociated pooled EBs or individual EBs were examined separately to discern potential differences in the value or variance of expression between the different methods of analysis. Overall, the analytical method described represents a novel approach for evaluating how heterogeneity is manifested in EB cultures and may be used in the future to assess the kinetics and patterns of differentiation in addition to the loss of pluripotency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna L. Wilson
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Shalu Suri
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ankur Singh
- The George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Catherine A. Rivet
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Hang Lu
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
- The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Todd C. McDevitt
- The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
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12
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Buschke DG, Squirrell JM, Vivekanandan A, Rueden CT, Eliceiri KW, Ogle BM. Noninvasive sorting of stem cell aggregates based on intrinsic markers. Cytometry A 2014; 85:353-8. [PMID: 24443408 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.22436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2013] [Revised: 12/13/2013] [Accepted: 12/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Noninvasive biomarkers hold important potential for the characterization and purification of stem cells because the addition of exogenous labels, probes, or reporters, as well as the disruption of cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions, can unintentionally but dramatically alter stem cell state. We recently showed that intensity of the intrinsically fluorescent metabolite, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), fluctuates predictably with changes in stem cell viability and differentiation state. Here, we use multiphoton flow cytometry developed in our laboratory to rapidly and noninvasively characterize and purify populations of intact stem cell aggregates based on NADH intensity and assessed the differentiation capacity of sorted populations. We found removal of aggregates with NADH intensity indicative of cell death resulted in a remaining population of aggregates significantly more likely to produce beating cardiomyocytes (26% vs. 8%, P < 0.05). Similarly, we found isolation of stem cell aggregates with NADH intensity indicative of future cardiac differentiation gave rise to more aggregates with beating cardiomyocytes at later time points (50% vs. 28%, P < 0.05). Further, coupling NADH intensity with gating based on size, enhances the enrichment for EBs capable of giving rise to cardiomyocytes (59% vs. 27%, P < 0.05). Thus, we demonstrate that endogenous properties of cell aggregates, such as NADH and size, can serve as gating parameters for large particle sorting devices to purify populations of stem cells or their progeny in a noninvasive manner, leading the way for improved therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- D G Buschke
- The Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, 53706; The Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin, 53706
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Titmarsh DM, Chen H, Glass NR, Cooper-White JJ. Concise review: microfluidic technology platforms: poised to accelerate development and translation of stem cell-derived therapies. Stem Cells Transl Med 2013; 3:81-90. [PMID: 24311699 DOI: 10.5966/sctm.2013-0118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Stem cells are a powerful resource for producing a variety of cell types with utility in clinically associated applications, including preclinical drug screening and development, disease and developmental modeling, and regenerative medicine. Regardless of the type of stem cell, substantial barriers to clinical translation still exist and must be overcome to realize full clinical potential. These barriers span processes including cell isolation, expansion, and differentiation; purification, quality control, and therapeutic efficacy and safety; and the economic viability of bioprocesses for production of functional cell products. Microfluidic systems have been developed for a myriad of biological applications and have the intrinsic capability of controlling and interrogating the cellular microenvironment with unrivalled precision; therefore, they have particular relevance to overcoming such barriers to translation. Development of microfluidic technologies increasingly utilizes stem cells, addresses stem cell-relevant biological phenomena, and aligns capabilities with translational challenges and goals. In this concise review, we describe how microfluidic technologies can contribute to the translation of stem cell research outcomes, and we provide an update on innovative research efforts in this area. This timely convergence of stem cell translational challenges and microfluidic capabilities means that there is now an opportunity for both disciplines to benefit from increased interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew M Titmarsh
- Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and
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Kamei KI. Cutting-Edge Microfabricated Biomedical Tools for Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 18:469-81. [DOI: 10.1177/2211068213495394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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15
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Buschke DG, Vivekanandan A, Squirrell JM, Rueden CT, Eliceiri KW, Ogle BM. Large particle multiphoton flow cytometry to purify intact embryoid bodies exhibiting enhanced potential for cardiomyocyte differentiation. Integr Biol (Camb) 2013; 5:993-1003. [PMID: 23759950 DOI: 10.1039/c3ib20286k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Embryoid bodies (EBs) are large (>100 μm) 3D microtissues composed of stem cells, differentiating cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins that roughly recapitulate early embryonic development. EBs are widely used as in vitro model systems to study stem cell differentiation and the complex physical and chemical interactions contributing to tissue development. Though much has been learned about differentiation from EBs, the practical and technical difficulties of effectively probing and properly analyzing these 3D microtissues has limited their utility and further application. We describe advancement of a technology platform developed in our laboratory, multiphoton flow cytometry (MPFC), to detect and sort large numbers of intact EBs based on size and fluorescent reporters. Real-time and simultaneous measurement of size and fluorescence intensity are now possible, through the implementation of image processing algorithms in the MPFC software. We applied this platform to purify populations of EBs generated from murine induced pluripotent stem (miPS) cells exhibiting enhanced potential for cardiomyocyte differentiation either as a consequence of size or expression of NKX2-5, a homeodomain protein indicative of precardiac cells. Large EBs (330-400 μm, diameter) purified soon after EB formation showed significantly higher potential to form cardiomyocytes at later time points than medium or small EBs. In addition, EBs expressing NKX2-5 soon after EB formation were more likely to form beating areas, indicative of cardiomyocyte differentiation, at later time points. Collectively, these studies highlight the ability of the MPFC to purify EBs and similar microtissues based on preferred features exhibited at the time of sorting or on features indicative of future characteristics or functional capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- D G Buschke
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2-114 Engineering Centers Building, 1550 Engineering Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
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16
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Mu X, Zheng W, Sun J, Zhang W, Jiang X. Microfluidics for manipulating cells. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2013; 9:9-21. [PMID: 22933509 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201200996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2012] [Revised: 07/05/2012] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidics, a toolbox comprising methods for precise manipulation of fluids at small length scales (micrometers to millimeters), has become useful for manipulating cells. Its uses range from dynamic management of cellular interactions to high-throughput screening of cells, and to precise analysis of chemical contents in single cells. Microfluidics demonstrates a completely new perspective and an excellent practical way to manipulate cells for solving various needs in biology and medicine. This review introduces and comments on recent achievements and challenges of using microfluidics to manipulate and analyze cells. It is believed that microfluidics will assume an even greater role in the mechanistic understanding of cell biology and, eventually, in clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Mu
- Key Laboratory for Biological Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for NanoScience and Technology, No. 11, Beiyitiao, ZhongGuanCun, Beijing 100190, PR China
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17
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Tasoglu S, Demirci U. Bioprinting for stem cell research. Trends Biotechnol 2012; 31:10-9. [PMID: 23260439 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2012.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 270] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2012] [Revised: 10/15/2012] [Accepted: 10/19/2012] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Recently, there has been growing interest in applying bioprinting techniques to stem cell research. Several bioprinting methods have been developed utilizing acoustics, piezoelectricity, and lasers to deposit living cells onto receiving substrates. Using these technologies, spatially defined gradients of immobilized biomolecules can be engineered to direct stem cell differentiation into multiple subpopulations of different lineages. Stem cells can also be patterned in a high-throughput manner onto flexible implementation patches for tissue regeneration or onto substrates with the goal of accessing encapsulated stem cells of interest for genomic analysis. Here, we review recent achievements with bioprinting technologies in stem cell research, and identify future challenges and potential applications including tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, wound healing, and genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savas Tasoglu
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Bio-Acoustic MEMS in Medicine Lab, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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18
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Buschke DG, Resto P, Schumacher N, Cox B, Tallavajhula A, Vivekanandan A, Eliceiri KW, Williams JC, Ogle BM. Microfluidic sorting of microtissues. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2012; 6:14116-1411611. [PMID: 22505992 PMCID: PMC3324260 DOI: 10.1063/1.3692765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2011] [Accepted: 02/12/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Increasingly, invitro culture of adherent cell types utilizes three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds or aggregate culture strategies to mimic tissue-like, microenvironmental conditions. In parallel, new flow cytometry-based technologies are emerging to accurately analyze the composition and function of these microtissues (i.e., large particles) in a non-invasive and high-throughput way. Lacking, however, is an accessible platform that can be used to effectively sort or purify large particles based on analysis parameters. Here we describe a microfluidic-based, electromechanical approach to sort large particles. Specifically, sheath-less asymmetric curving channels were employed to separate and hydrodynamically focus particles to be analyzed and subsequently sorted. This design was developed and characterized based on wall shear stress, tortuosity of the flow path, vorticity of the fluid in the channel, sorting efficiency and enrichment ratio. The large particle sorting device was capable of purifying fluorescently labelled embryoid bodies (EBs) from unlabelled EBs with an efficiency of 87.3% ± 13.5%, and enrichment ratio of 12.2 ± 8.4 (n = 8), while preserving cell viability, differentiation potential, and long-term function.
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19
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Kshitiz, Kim DH, Beebe DJ, Levchenko A. Micro- and nanoengineering for stem cell biology: the promise with a caution. Trends Biotechnol 2011; 29:399-408. [PMID: 21549437 PMCID: PMC3726268 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2011.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2010] [Revised: 03/28/2011] [Accepted: 03/30/2011] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Current techniques used in stem cell research only crudely mimic the physiological complexity of the stem cell niches. Recent advances in the field of micro- and nanoengineering have brought an array of in vitro cell culture models that have enabled development of novel, highly precise and standardized tools that capture physiological details in a single platform, with greater control, consistency, and throughput. In this review, we describe the micro- and nanotechnology-driven modern toolkit for stem cell biologists to design novel experiments in more physiological microenvironments with increased precision and standardization, and caution them against potential challenges that the modern technologies might present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kshitiz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA
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20
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Zhou J, Ren K, Dai W, Zhao Y, Ryan D, Wu H. Pumping-induced perturbation of flow in microfluidic channels and its implications for on-chip cell culture. LAB ON A CHIP 2011; 11:2288-94. [PMID: 21603722 DOI: 10.1039/c0lc00466a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
We study the rate of response to changes in the rate of flow and the perturbations in flow in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic chips that are subjected to several common flow-control systems. We find that the flow rate of liquid delivered from a syringe pump equipped with a glass syringe responds faster to the changes in the conditions of flow than the same liquid delivered from a plastic syringe; and the rate of flow delivered from compressed air responds faster than that from a glass syringe. We discover that the rate of flow that is driven by a syringe pump and regulated by an integrated pneumatic valve responds even faster, but this flow-control method is characterized by large perturbations. We also examine the possible effects of these large perturbations on NIH 3T3 cells in microfluidic channels and find that they could cause the detachment of NIH 3T3 cells in the microchannels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhua Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
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21
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Xu F, Sridharan B, Wang S, Gurkan UA, Syverud B, Demirci U. Embryonic stem cell bioprinting for uniform and controlled size embryoid body formation. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2011; 5:22207. [PMID: 21799713 PMCID: PMC3145232 DOI: 10.1063/1.3580752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2010] [Accepted: 03/23/2011] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent with multilineage potential to differentiate into virtually all cell types in the organism and thus hold a great promise for cell therapy and regenerative medicine. In vitro differentiation of ESCs starts with a phase known as embryoid body (EB) formation. EB mimics the early stages of embryogenesis and plays an essential role in ESC differentiation in vitro. EB uniformity and size are critical parameters that directly influence the phenotype expression of ESCs. Various methods have been developed to form EBs, which involve natural aggregation of cells. However, challenges persist to form EBs with controlled size, shape, and uniformity in a reproducible manner. The current hanging-drop methods are labor intensive and time consuming. In this study, we report an approach to form controllable, uniform-sized EBs by integrating bioprinting technologies with the existing hanging-drop method. The approach presented here is simple, robust, and rapid. We present significantly enhanced EB size uniformity compared to the conventional manual hanging-drop method.
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22
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Li P, Tian Y, Pappas D. Comparison of inlet geometry in microfluidic cell affinity chromatography. Anal Chem 2011; 83:774-81. [PMID: 21207967 PMCID: PMC3059352 DOI: 10.1021/ac102975g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Cell separation based on microfluidic affinity chromatography is a widely used methodology in cell analysis research when rapid separations with high purity are needed. Several successful examples have been reported with high separation efficiency and purity; however, cell capture at the inlet area and inlet design have not been extensively described or studied. The most common inlets-used to connect the microfluidic chip to pumps, tubing, etc.-are vertical (top-loading) inlets and parallel (in-line) inlets. In this work, we investigated the cell capture behavior near the affinity chip inlet area and compared the different performances of vertical inlet devices and parallel inlet devices. Vertical inlet devices showed significant cell capture capability near the inlet area, which led to the formation of cell blockages as the separation progressed. Cell density near the inlet area was much higher than that in the remaining channel, whereas for parallel inlet chips cell density at the inlet area was similar to that in the rest of the channel. In this paper, we discuss the effects of inlet type on chip fabrication, nonspecific binding, cell capture efficiency, and separation purity. We also discuss the possibility of using vertical inlets in negative-selection separations. Our findings show that inlet design is critical and must be considered when fabricating cell affinity microfluidic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Li
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409
| | - Yu Tian
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409
| | - Dimitri Pappas
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409
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23
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Abstract
A microfluidic device is presented for the serial formation, storage and retrieval of water microdroplets in oil. The principle of operation is similar to that of an electronic shift register. Droplets, considered as units of information, can be arrayed and serially shifted within the device, allowing the controllable positioning of the emulsions and the creation of interfaces between drops. Using this passive system, by exploiting the balance between hydrodynamic pressure and surface tension across a drop due to the device design, droplet networks can be readily arrayed in a series of elements and cascaded within the microchannels in an automatable and high throughput fashion. The results showed the suitability of the system to be used for the formation of artificial lipid bilayers and for the study of biological dynamic processes based on the diffusion of molecules through interfaces.
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