1
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Kim SE, Yun S, Doh J, Kim HN. Imaging-Based Efficacy Evaluation of Cancer Immunotherapy in Engineered Tumor Platforms and Tumor Organoids. Adv Healthc Mater 2024:e2400475. [PMID: 38815251 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202400475] [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: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy is used to treat tumors by modulating the immune system. Although the anticancer efficacy of cancer immunotherapy has been evaluated prior to clinical trials, conventional in vivo animal and endpoint models inadequately replicate the intricate process of tumor elimination and reflect human-specific immune systems. Therefore, more sophisticated models that mimic the complex tumor-immune microenvironment must be employed to assess the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Additionally, using real-time imaging technology, a step-by-step evaluation can be applied, allowing for a more precise assessment of treatment efficacy. Here, an overview of the various imaging-based evaluation platforms recently developed for cancer immunotherapeutic applications is presented. Specifically, a fundamental technique is discussed for stably observing immune cell-based tumor cell killing using direct imaging, a microwell that reproduces a confined space for spatial observation, a droplet assay that facilitates cell-cell interactions, and a 3D microphysiological system that reconstructs the vascular environment. Furthermore, it is suggested that future evaluation platforms pursue more human-like immune systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seong-Eun Kim
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, South Korea
| | - Suji Yun
- Interdisciplinary Program for Bioengineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Junsang Doh
- Interdisciplinary Program for Bioengineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Research Institute of Advanced Materials, Institute of Engineering Research, Bio-MAX institute, Soft Foundry Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, South Korea
| | - Hong Nam Kim
- Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, South Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science and Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- Yonsei-KIST Convergence Research Institute, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
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2
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Kim H, Kim S, Lim H, Chung AJ. Expanding CAR-T cell immunotherapy horizons through microfluidics. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:1088-1120. [PMID: 38174732 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00622k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies have revolutionized cancer treatment, particularly in hematological malignancies. However, their application to solid tumors is limited, and they face challenges in safety, scalability, and cost. To enhance current CAR-T cell therapies, the integration of microfluidic technologies, harnessing their inherent advantages, such as reduced sample consumption, simplicity in operation, cost-effectiveness, automation, and high scalability, has emerged as a powerful solution. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the step-by-step manufacturing process of CAR-T cells, identifies existing difficulties at each production stage, and discusses the successful implementation of microfluidics and related technologies in addressing these challenges. Furthermore, this review investigates the potential of microfluidics-based methodologies in advancing cell-based therapy across various applications, including solid tumors, next-generation CAR constructs, T-cell receptors, and the development of allogeneic "off-the-shelf" CAR products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyelee Kim
- Department of Bioengineering, Korea University, 02841 Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Interdisciplinary Program in Precision Public Health (PPH), Korea University, 02841 Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Suyeon Kim
- Department of Bioengineering, Korea University, 02841 Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Interdisciplinary Program in Precision Public Health (PPH), Korea University, 02841 Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hyunjung Lim
- Interdisciplinary Program in Precision Public Health (PPH), Korea University, 02841 Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Aram J Chung
- Department of Bioengineering, Korea University, 02841 Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Interdisciplinary Program in Precision Public Health (PPH), Korea University, 02841 Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Korea University, 02841 Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- MxT Biotech, 04785 Seoul, Republic of Korea
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3
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Yeh M, Salazar-Cavazos E, Krishnan A, Altan-Bonnet G, DeVoe DL. Probing T-cell activation in nanoliter tumor co-cultures using membrane displacement trap arrays. Integr Biol (Camb) 2024; 16:zyae014. [PMID: 39074471 PMCID: PMC11286267 DOI: 10.1093/intbio/zyae014] [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: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Immune responses against cancer are inherently stochastic, with small numbers of individual T cells within a larger ensemble of lymphocytes initiating the molecular cascades that lead to tumor cytotoxicity. A potential source of this intra-tumor variability is the differential ability of immune cells to respond to tumor cells. Classical microwell co-cultures of T cells and tumor cells are inadequate for reliably culturing and analyzing low cell numbers needed to probe this variability, and have failed in recapitulating the heterogeneous small domains observed in tumors. Here we leverage a membrane displacement trap array technology that overcomes limitations of conventional microwell plates for immunodynamic studies. The microfluidic platform supports on-demand formation of dense nanowell cultures under continuous perfusion reflecting the tumor microenvironment, with real-time monitoring of T cell proliferation and activation within each nanowell. The system enables selective ejection of cells for profiling by fluorescence activated cell sorting, allowing observed on-chip variability in immune response to be correlated with off-chip quantification of T cell activation. The technology offers new potential for probing the molecular origins of T cell heterogeneity and identifying specific cell phenotypes responsible for initiating and propagating immune cascades within tumors. Insight Box Variability in T cell activation plays a critical role in the immune response against cancer. New tools are needed to unravel the mechanisms that drive successful anti-tumor immune response, and to support the development of novel immunotherapies utilizing rare T cell phenotypes that promote effective immune surveillance. To this end, we present a microfluidic cell culture platform capable of probing differential T cell activation in an array of nanoliter-scale wells coupled with off-chip cell analysis, enabling a high resolution view of variable immune response within tumor / T cell co-cultures containing cell ensembles orders of magnitude smaller than conventional well plate studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Yeh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
- Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
- National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
| | | | - Anagha Krishnan
- National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
| | - Grégoire Altan-Bonnet
- National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
| | - Don L DeVoe
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
- Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, United States
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4
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Jia H, Wang W, Zhou Z, Chen Z, Lan Z, Bo H, Fan L. Single-cell RNA sequencing technology in human spermatogenesis: Progresses and perspectives. Mol Cell Biochem 2023:10.1007/s11010-023-04840-x. [PMID: 37659974 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-023-04840-x] [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: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/04/2023]
Abstract
Spermatogenesis, a key part of the spermiation process, is regulated by a combination of key cells, such as primordial germ cells, spermatogonial stem cells, and somatic cells, such as Sertoli cells. Abnormal spermatogenesis can lead to azoospermia, testicular tumors, and other diseases related to male infertility. The application of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology in male reproduction is gradually increasing with its unique insight into deep mining and analysis. The data cover different periods of neonatal, prepubertal, pubertal, and adult stages. Different types of male infertility diseases including obstructive and non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), Klinefelter Syndrome (KS), Sertoli Cell Only Syndrome (SCOS), and testicular tumors are also covered. We briefly review the principles and application of scRNA-seq and summarize the research results and application directions in spermatogenesis in different periods and pathological states. Moreover, we discuss the challenges of applying this technology in male reproduction and the prospects of combining it with other technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanbo Jia
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Wei Wang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Zhaowen Zhou
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Zhiyi Chen
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Zijun Lan
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Hao Bo
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
- Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| | - Liqing Fan
- NHC Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cell and Reproductive Engineering, Institute of Reproductive and Stem Cell Engineering, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
- Clinical Research Center for Reproduction and Genetics in Hunan Province, Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya, Changsha, Hunan, China.
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5
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Lin W, Xu Y, Hong X, Pang SW. PEGylated Paclitaxel Nanomedicine Meets 3D Confinement: Cytotoxicity and Cell Behaviors. J Funct Biomater 2023; 14:322. [PMID: 37367286 DOI: 10.3390/jfb14060322] [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: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigating the effect of nanomedicines on cancer cell behavior in three-dimensional (3D) platforms is beneficial for evaluating and developing novel antitumor nanomedicines in vitro. While the cytotoxicity of nanomedicines on cancer cells has been widely studied on two-dimensional flat surfaces, there is little work using 3D confinement to assess their effects. This study aims to address this gap by applying PEGylated paclitaxel nanoparticles (PEG-PTX NPs) for the first time to treat nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC43) cells in 3D confinement consisting of microwells with different sizes and a glass cover. The cytotoxicity of the small molecule drug paclitaxel (PTX) and PEG-PTX NPs was studied in microwells with sizes of 50 × 50, 100 × 100, and 150 × 150 μm2 both with and without a concealed top cover. The impact of microwell confinement with varying sizes and concealment on the cytotoxicity of PTX and PEG-PTX NPs was analyzed by assessing NPC43 cell viability, migration speed, and cell morphology following treatment. Overall, microwell isolation was found to suppress drug cytotoxicity, and differences were observed in the time-dependent effects of PTX and PEG-PTX NPs on NPC43 cells in isolated and concealed microenvironments. These results not only demonstrate the effect of 3D confinement on nanomedicine cytotoxicity and cell behaviors but also provide a novel method to screen anticancer drugs and evaluate cell behaviors in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhai Lin
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Centre for Biosystems, Neuroscience, and Nanotechnology, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuanhao Xu
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Centre for Biosystems, Neuroscience, and Nanotechnology, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xiao Hong
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Centre for Biosystems, Neuroscience, and Nanotechnology, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Stella W Pang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Centre for Biosystems, Neuroscience, and Nanotechnology, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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6
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LaBelle CA, Zhang RJ, Hunsucker SA, Armistead PM, Allbritton NL. Microraft arrays for serial-killer CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells and single cell isolation. Cytometry A 2023; 103:208-220. [PMID: 35899783 PMCID: PMC9883594 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24678] [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: 01/15/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell immunotherapies have seen success in treating hematological malignancies in recent years; however, the results can be highly variable. Single cell heterogeneity plays a key role in the variable efficacy of CAR-T cell treatments yet is largely unexplored. A major challenge is to understand the killing behavior and phenotype of individual CAR-T cells, which are able to serially kill targets. Thus, a platform capable of measuring time-dependent CAR-T cell mediated killing and then isolating single cells for downstream assays would be invaluable in characterizing CAR-T cells. An automated microraft array platform was designed to track CD19 CAR-T cell killing of CD19+ target cells and CAR-T cell motility over time followed by CAR-T cell collection based on killing behavior. The platform demonstrated automated CAR-T cell counting with up to 98% specificity and 96% sensitivity, and single cells were isolated with 89% efficiency. On average, 2.3% of single CAR-T cells were shown to participate in serial-killing of target cells, killing a maximum of three target cells in a 6 h period. The cytotoxicity and motility of >7000 individual CAR-T cells was tracked across four microraft arrays. The automated microraft array platform measured temporal cell-mediated cytotoxicity, CAR-T cell motility, CAR-T cell death, and CAR-T cell to target cell distances, followed by the capability to sort any desired CAR-T cell. The pipeline has the potential to further our understanding of T cell-based cancer immunotherapies and improve cell-therapy products for better patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody A. LaBelle
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Raymond J. Zhang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Sally A. Hunsucker
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Paul M. Armistead
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
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7
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Subedi N, Verhagen LP, de Jonge P, Van Eyndhoven LC, van Turnhout MC, Koomen V, Baudry J, Eyer K, Dolstra H, Tel J. Single‐Cell Profiling Reveals Functional Heterogeneity and Serial Killing in Human Peripheral and Ex Vivo‐Generated CD34+ Progenitor‐Derived Natural Killer Cells. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2022; 7:e2200207. [PMID: 36517083 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202200207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that natural killer (NK) cells are composed of distinct functional subsets. This multifunctional role has made them an attractive choice for anticancer immunotherapy. A functional NK cell repertoire is generated through cellular education, resulting in a heterogeneous NK cell population with distinct capabilities responding to different stimuli. The application of a high-throughput droplet-based microfluidic platform allows monitoring of NK cell-target cell interactions at the single-cell level and in real-time. A variable response of single NK cells toward different target cells is observed, and a distinct population of NK cells (serial killers) capable of inducing multiple target lysis is identified. By assessing the cytotoxic dynamics, it is shown that single umbilical cord blood-derived CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor (HPC)-NK cells display superior antitumor cytotoxicity. With an integrated analysis of cytotoxicity and cytokine secretion, it is shown that target cell interactions augment cytotoxic as well as secretory behavior of NK cells. By providing an integrated assessment of NK cell functions by microfluidics, this study paves the way to further functionally characterize NK cells ultimately aimed to improve cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita Subedi
- Laboratory of Immunoengineering Department of Biomedical Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology Groene Loper 5 Eindhoven 5600 MB The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Groene Loper 5 Eindhoven 5600 MB The Netherlands
| | - Liesbeth Petronella Verhagen
- Laboratory of Immunoengineering Department of Biomedical Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology Groene Loper 5 Eindhoven 5600 MB The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Groene Loper 5 Eindhoven 5600 MB The Netherlands
| | - Paul de Jonge
- Department of Laboratory Medicine – Laboratory of Hematology Radboud Institute of Molecular Life Sciences Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen 6525 GA The Netherlands
| | - Laura C. Van Eyndhoven
- Laboratory of Immunoengineering Department of Biomedical Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology Groene Loper 5 Eindhoven 5600 MB The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Groene Loper 5 Eindhoven 5600 MB The Netherlands
| | - Mark C. van Turnhout
- Soft Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology Department of Biomedical Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology Groene Loper 5 Eindhoven 5600 MB The Netherlands
| | - Vera Koomen
- Laboratory of Immunoengineering Department of Biomedical Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology Groene Loper 5 Eindhoven 5600 MB The Netherlands
| | - Jean Baudry
- Laboratoire Colloïdes et Matériaux Divisés (LCMD) ESPCI Paris PSL Research University CNRS UMR8231 Chimie Biologie Innovation Paris 75005 France
| | - Klaus Eyer
- Laboratoire Colloïdes et Matériaux Divisés (LCMD) ESPCI Paris PSL Research University CNRS UMR8231 Chimie Biologie Innovation Paris 75005 France
- Laboratory for Functional Immune Repertoire Analysis Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences D‐CHAB, ETH, Zürich Zurich 8093 Switzerland
| | - Harry Dolstra
- Department of Laboratory Medicine – Laboratory of Hematology Radboud Institute of Molecular Life Sciences Radboud University Medical Center Nijmegen 6525 GA The Netherlands
| | - Jurjen Tel
- Laboratory of Immunoengineering Department of Biomedical Engineering Eindhoven University of Technology Groene Loper 5 Eindhoven 5600 MB The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems Eindhoven University of Technology Groene Loper 5 Eindhoven 5600 MB The Netherlands
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8
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Tang X, Huang Q, Arai T, Liu X. Cell pairing for biological analysis in microfluidic devices. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2022; 16:061501. [PMID: 36389274 PMCID: PMC9646252 DOI: 10.1063/5.0095828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Cell pairing at the single-cell level usually allows a few cells to contact or seal in a single chamber and provides high-resolution imaging. It is pivotal for biological research, including understanding basic cell functions, creating cancer treatment technologies, developing drugs, and more. Laboratory chips based on microfluidics have been widely used to trap, immobilize, and analyze cells due to their high efficiency, high throughput, and good biocompatibility properties. Cell pairing technology in microfluidic devices provides spatiotemporal research on cellular interactions and a highly controlled approach for cell heterogeneity studies. In the last few decades, many researchers have emphasized cell pairing research based on microfluidics. They designed various microfluidic device structures for different biological applications. Herein, we describe the current physical methods of microfluidic devices to trap cell pairs. We emphatically summarize the practical applications of cell pairing in microfluidic devices, including cell fusion, cell immunity, gap junction intercellular communication, cell co-culture, and other applications. Finally, we review the advances and existing challenges of the presented devices and then discuss the possible development directions to promote medical and biological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqing Tang
- 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, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Qiang Huang
- 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, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Tatsuo Arai
- 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, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xiaoming Liu
- 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, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
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9
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Agnihotri SN, Ugolini GS, Sullivan MR, Yang Y, De Ganzó A, Lim JW, Konry T. Droplet microfluidics for functional temporal analysis and cell recovery on demand using microvalves: application in immunotherapies for cancer. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:3258-3267. [PMID: 35904070 PMCID: PMC9535857 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00435f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Most common methods of cellular analysis employ the top-down approach (investigating proteomics or genomics directly), thereby destroying the cell, which does not allow the possibility of using the same cell to correlate genomics with functional assays. Herein we describe an approach for single-cell tools that serve as a bottom-up approach. Our technology allows functional phenotyping to be conducted by observing the cytotoxicity of cells and then probe the underlying biology. We have developed a droplet microfluidic device capable of trapping droplets in the array and releasing the droplet of interest selectively using microvalves. Each droplet in the array encapsulates natural killer cells (NK cells) and tumour cells for real-time monitoring of burst kinetics and spatial coordination during killing by single NK cells. Finally, we use the microvalve actuation to selectively release droplets with the desired functional phenotype such as for fast and serial killing of target tumour cells by NK cells. From this perspective, our device allows for investigating first interactions and real-time monitoring of kinetics and later cell recovery on demand for single-cell omic analysis such as single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA), which to date, is primarily based on in-depth analyses of the entire transcriptome of a relatively low number of cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagar N Agnihotri
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Giovanni Stefano Ugolini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Matthew Ryan Sullivan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Yichao Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Agustin De Ganzó
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Ji Won Lim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Tania Konry
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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10
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Understanding natural killer cell biology from a single cell perspective. Cell Immunol 2022; 373:104497. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2022.104497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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11
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An automated real-time microfluidic platform to probe single NK cell heterogeneity and cytotoxicity on-chip. Sci Rep 2021; 11:17084. [PMID: 34429486 PMCID: PMC8385055 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96609-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytotoxicity is a vital effector mechanism used by immune cells to combat pathogens and cancer cells. While conventional cytotoxicity assays rely on averaged end-point measures, crucial insights on the dynamics and heterogeneity of effector and target cell interactions cannot be extracted, emphasizing the need for dynamic single-cell analysis. Here, we present a fully automated droplet-based microfluidic platform that allowed the real-time monitoring of effector-target cell interactions and killing, allowing the screening of over 60,000 droplets identifying 2000 individual cellular interactions monitored over 10 h. During the course of incubation, we observed that the dynamics of cytotoxicity within the Natural Killer (NK) cell population varies significantly over the time. Around 20% of the total NK cells in droplets showed positive cytotoxicity against paired K562 cells, most of which was exhibited within first 4 h of cellular interaction. Using our single cell analysis platform, we demonstrated that the population of NK cells is composed of individual cells with different strength in their effector functions, a behavior masked in conventional studies. Moreover, the versatility of our platform will allow the dynamic and resolved study of interactions between immune cell types and the finding and characterization of functional sub-populations, opening novel ways towards both fundamental and translational research.
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12
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Pang L, Ding J, Liu XX, Kou Z, Guo L, Xu X, Fan SK. Microfluidics-Based Single-Cell Research for Intercellular Interaction. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:680307. [PMID: 34458252 PMCID: PMC8397490 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.680307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Intercellular interaction between cell-cell and cell-ECM is critical to numerous biology and medical studies, such as stem cell differentiation, immunotherapy and tissue engineering. Traditional methods employed for delving into intercellular interaction are limited by expensive equipment and sophisticated procedures. Microfluidics technique is considered as one of the powerful measures capable of precisely capturing and manipulating cells and achieving low reagent consumption and high throughput with decidedly integrated functional components. Over the past few years, microfluidics-based systems for intercellular interaction study at a single-cell level have become frequently adopted. This review focuses on microfluidic single-cell studies for intercellular interaction in a 2D or 3D environment with a variety of cell manipulating techniques and applications. The challenges to be overcome are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Pang
- School of Basic Medical Science, The Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
- Xi’an Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microorganism and Tumor Immunity, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Jing Ding
- Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States
| | - Xi-Xian Liu
- Key Laboratory of Thermo-Fluid Science and Engineering of MOE, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Zhixuan Kou
- School of Basic Medical Science, The Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
- Xi’an Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microorganism and Tumor Immunity, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Lulu Guo
- School of Basic Medical Science, The Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
- Xi’an Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microorganism and Tumor Immunity, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xi Xu
- School of Basic Medical Science, The Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Brain Disorders, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
- Xi’an Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microorganism and Tumor Immunity, Xi’an Medical University, Xi’an, China
| | - Shih-Kang Fan
- Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States
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13
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Zhou Y, Shao N, Bessa de Castro R, Zhang P, Ma Y, Liu X, Huang F, Wang RF, Qin L. Evaluation of Single-Cell Cytokine Secretion and Cell-Cell Interactions with a Hierarchical Loading Microwell Chip. Cell Rep 2021; 31:107574. [PMID: 32348757 PMCID: PMC7583657 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Comprehensive evaluation of single T cell functions such as cytokine secretion and cytolysis of target cells is greatly needed in adoptive cell therapy (ACT) but has never been fully fulfilled by current approaches. Herein, we develop a hierarchical loading microwell chip (HL-Chip) that aligns multiple cells and functionalized beads in a high-throughput microwell array with single-cell/bead precision based on size differences. We demonstrate the potential of the HL-Chip in evaluating single T cell functions by three applications: high-throughput longitudinal secretory profiling of single T cells, large-scale evaluation of cytolytic activity of single T cells, and integrated T cell-tumor cell interactions. The HL-Chip is a simple and robust technology that constructs arrays of defined cell/object combinations for multiple measurements and material retrieval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufu Zhou
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA; The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China; Center for inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ning Shao
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Ricardo Bessa de Castro
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Pengchao Zhang
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Yuan Ma
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Xin Liu
- Center for inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Medicine and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA
| | - Feizhou Huang
- The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
| | - Rong-Fu Wang
- Center for inflammation and Epigenetics, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, The Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; Department of Medicine and Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
| | - Lidong Qin
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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14
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Chen SC, Wu PC, Wang CY, Kuo PL. Evaluation of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-mediated anticancer response against tumor interstitium-simulating physical barriers. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13662. [PMID: 32788651 PMCID: PMC7423901 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70694-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) is a promising agent for cancer therapy. Most solid tumors are characterized by increased interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) and dense collagen capsule, which form physical barriers to impede cancer treatment. However, it remains unclear how CTL-mediated anticancer response is affected at the presence of these obstacles. Using a microfluidic-based platform mimicking these obstacles, we investigated the migration characteristics and performance of anticancer response of CTLs targeting hepatic cancer cells via antigen-specific and allogeneic recognition. The device consisted of slit channels mimicking the narrow interstitial paths constrained by the fibrous capsule and increased IFP was simulated by applying hydrostatic pressure to the tumor center. We found that antigen-specificity of CTLs against the targeted cancer cells determined the cytotoxic efficacy of the CTLs but did not significantly affect the success rate in CTLs that attempted to infiltrate into the tumor center. When increased IFP was present in the tumor center, CTL recruitment to tumor peripheries was promoted but success of infiltration was hindered. Our results highlight the importance of incorporating the physical characteristics of tumor interstitum into the development of CTL-based cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Ching Chen
- Department of Medical Research, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, 10002, Taiwan
| | - Po-Cheng Wu
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Electronics and Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Chiao-Yi Wang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Electronics and Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan
| | - Po-Ling Kuo
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Electronics and Bioinformatics, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan. .,Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan. .,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, 10002, Taiwan.
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15
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Tang X, Liu X, Li P, Liu F, Kojima M, Huang Q, Arai T. On-Chip Cell–Cell Interaction Monitoring at Single-Cell Level by Efficient Immobilization of Multiple Cells in Adjustable Quantities. Anal Chem 2020; 92:11607-11616. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.0c01148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqing Tang
- 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, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xiaoming Liu
- 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, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Pengyun 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, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Fengyu Liu
- 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, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Masaru Kojima
- Department of Materials Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-8531, Japan
| | - Qiang Huang
- 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, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Tatsuo Arai
- 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, and School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
- Department of Mechanical and Intelligent Systems Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan
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16
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Ramji R, Alexander AF, Muñoz-Rojas AR, Kellman LN, Miller-Jensen K. Microfluidic platform enables live-cell imaging of signaling and transcription combined with multiplexed secretion measurements in the same single cells. Integr Biol (Camb) 2020; 11:142-153. [PMID: 31242304 DOI: 10.1093/intbio/zyz013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2018] [Revised: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Innate immune cells, including macrophages and dendritic cells, protect the host from pathogenic assaults in part through secretion of a program of cytokines and chemokines (C/Cs). Cell-to-cell variability in C/C secretion appears to contribute to the regulation of the immune response, but the sources of secretion variability are largely unknown. To begin to track the biological sources that control secretion variability, we developed and validated a microfluidic device to integrate live-cell imaging of fluorescent reporter proteins with a single-cell assay of protein secretion. We used this device to image NF-κB RelA nuclear translocation dynamics and Tnf transcription dynamics in macrophages in response to stimulation with the bacterial component lipopolysaccharide (LPS), followed by quantification of secretion of TNF, CCL2, CCL3, and CCL5. We found that the timing of the initial peak of RelA signaling in part determined the relative level of TNF and CCL3 secretion, but not CCL2 and CCL5 secretion. Our results support evidence that differences in timing across cell processes partly account for cell-to-cell variability in downstream responses, but that other factors introduce variability at each biological step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramesh Ramji
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Amanda F Alexander
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Laura N Kellman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Kathryn Miller-Jensen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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17
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Tokar JJ, Stahlfeld CN, Sperger JM, Niles DJ, Beebe DJ, Lang JM, Warrick JW. Pairing Microwell Arrays with an Affordable, Semiautomated Single-Cell Aspirator for the Interrogation of Circulating Tumor Cell Heterogeneity. SLAS Technol 2020; 25:162-176. [PMID: 31983266 DOI: 10.1177/2472630319898146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Comprehensive analysis of tumor heterogeneity requires robust methods for the isolation and analysis of single cells from patient samples. An ideal approach would be fully compatible with downstream analytic methods, such as advanced genomic testing. These endpoints necessitate the use of live cells at high purity. A multitude of microfluidic circulating tumor cell (CTC) enrichment technologies exist, but many of those perform bulk sample enrichment and are not, on their own, capable of single-cell interrogation. To address this, we developed an affordable semiautomated single-cell aspirator (SASCA) to further enrich rare-cell populations from a specialized microwell array, per their phenotypic markers. Immobilization of cells within microwells, integrated with a real-time image processing software, facilitates the detection and precise isolation of targeted cells that have been optimally seeded into the microwells. Here, we demonstrate the platform capabilities through the aspiration of target cells from an impure background population, where we obtain purity levels of 90%-100% and demonstrate the enrichment of the target population with high-quality RNA extraction. A range of low cell numbers were aspirated using SASCA before undergoing whole transcriptome and genome analysis, exhibiting the ability to obtain endpoints from low-template inputs. Lastly, CTCs from patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer were isolated with this platform and the utility of this method was confirmed for rare-cell isolation. SASCA satisfies a need for an affordable option to isolate single cells or highly purified subpopulations of cells to probe complex mechanisms driving disease progression and resistance in patients with cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob J Tokar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Jamie M Sperger
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - David J Niles
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - David J Beebe
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,UW Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Joshua M Lang
- UW Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jay W Warrick
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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18
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Gupta S, Witas R, Voigt A, Semenova T, Nguyen CQ. Single-Cell Sequencing of T cell Receptors: A Perspective on the Technological Development and Translational Application. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1255:29-50. [PMID: 32949388 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-4494-1_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
T cells recognize peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II molecules at the cell surface. This recognition is accomplished by the expression of T cell receptors (TCR) which are required to be diverse and adaptable in order to accommodate the various and vast number of antigens presented on the MHCs. Thus, determining TCR repertoires of effector T cells is necessary to understand the immunological process in responding to cancer progression, infection, and autoimmune development. Furthermore, understanding the TCR repertoires will provide a solid framework to predict and test the antigen which is more critical in autoimmunity. However, it has been a technical challenge to sequence the TCRs and provide a conceptual context in correlation to the vast number of TCR repertoires in the immunological system. The exploding field of single-cell sequencing has changed how the repertoires are being investigated and analyzed. In this review, we focus on the biology of TCRs, TCR signaling and its implication in autoimmunity. We discuss important methods in bulk sequencing of many cells. Lastly, we explore the most pertinent platforms in single-cell sequencing and its application in autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shivai Gupta
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Richard Witas
- Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Alexandria Voigt
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Touyana Semenova
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Cuong Q Nguyen
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA. .,Department of Oral Biology, College of Dentistry, Gainesville, FL, USA. .,Center of Orphaned Autoimmune Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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19
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Li L, Wang H, Huang L, Michael SA, Huang W, Wu H. A Controllable, Centrifugal-Based Hydrodynamic Microfluidic Chip for Cell-Pairing and Studying Long-Term Communications between Single Cells. Anal Chem 2019; 91:15908-15914. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b04370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Li
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water
Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment and Disease Research, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Huirong Wang
- Department of Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment and Disease Research, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Lu Huang
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water
Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Sean Alan Michael
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water
Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wei Huang
- Department of Biology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment and Disease Research, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Hongkai Wu
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water
Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
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20
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Liu Y, Chen X, Zhang Y, Liu J. Advancing single-cell proteomics and metabolomics with microfluidic technologies. Analyst 2019; 144:846-858. [PMID: 30351310 DOI: 10.1039/c8an01503a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in single-cell analysis have unraveled substantial heterogeneity among seemingly identical cells at genomic and transcriptomic levels. These discoveries have urged scientists to develop new tools that are capable of investigating single cells from a broader set of "omics". Proteomics and metabolomics, for instance, are of particular interest as they are closely correlated with a dynamic picture of cellular behaviors and phenotypic identities. The development of such tools requires highly efficient isolation and processing of a large number of individual cells, where techniques such as microfluidics are extremely useful. Here, we review the recent advances in single-cell proteomics and metabolomics, with a focus on microfluidics-based platforms. We highlight a vast array of emerging microfluidic formats for single-cell isolation and manipulation, and how the state-of-the-art analytical tools are coupled with such platforms for proteomic and metabolomic profiling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-based Functional Materials and Devices, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province 215123, China.
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21
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Sarkar S, McKenney S, Sabhachandani P, Adler J, Hu X, Stroopinksy D, Rosenblatt J, Avigan D, Konry T. Anti-myeloma activity and molecular logic operation by Natural Killer cells in microfluidic droplets. SENSORS AND ACTUATORS. B, CHEMICAL 2019; 282:580-589. [PMID: 31537955 PMCID: PMC6752214 DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2018.11.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Immune-targeted therapies that activate effector lymphocytes such as Natural Killer (NK) cells are currently being investigated for the treatment of Multiple myeloma (MM), the second most common form of hematological cancer. However, individual NK cells are highly heterogeneous in their cytolytic potential, making it difficult to detect, quantify and correlate the outcome of dynamic effector-target cell interactions at single cell resolution. Here, we present a microfluidic bioassay platform capable of activity-based screening of cellular and molecular immunotherapies. We identified distinct functional signatures associated with NK-MM cell interaction. The addition of immunomodulatory drug lenalidomide altered responses of NK-susceptible MM cells but not that of NK-tolerant MM cells. Antitumor cytotoxicity was significantly increased by the blockade of PD1/PDL1 axis as well as the clinically relevant cell line NK92, which were used to construct molecular logic functions (AND and NOT gates). A predictive agent-based mathematical model was developed to simulate progressive disease states and drug efficacy. The findings of the current study validate the applicability of this microfluidic cytotoxicity assay for immunotherapy screening, biocomputation and for future employment in detection of patient-specific cell response for precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saheli Sarkar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115
| | - Seamus McKenney
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115
| | - Pooja Sabhachandani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115
| | - James Adler
- Department of Mathematics, School of Arts and Sciences, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155
| | - Xiaozhe Hu
- Department of Mathematics, School of Arts and Sciences, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155
| | - Dina Stroopinksy
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Jacalyn Rosenblatt
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - David Avigan
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Tania Konry
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115
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22
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Le Saux G, Schvartzman M. Advanced Materials and Devices for the Regulation and Study of NK Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E646. [PMID: 30717370 PMCID: PMC6386824 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20030646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural Killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that contribute to immune protection by cytosis, cytokine secretion, and regulation of adaptive responses of T cells. NK cells distinguish between healthy and ill cells, and generate a cytotoxic response, being cumulatively regulated by environmental signals delivered through their diverse receptors. Recent advances in biomaterials and device engineering paved the way to numerous artificial microenvironments for cells, which produce synthetic signals identical or similar to those provided by the physiological environment. In this paper, we review recent advances in materials and devices for artificial signaling, which have been applied to regulate NK cells, and systematically study the role of these signals in NK cell function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Le Saux
- Department of Materials Engineering, Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel.
| | - Mark Schvartzman
- Department of Materials Engineering, Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105, Israel.
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23
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Segaliny AI, Li G, Kong L, Ren C, Chen X, Wang JK, Baltimore D, Wu G, Zhao W. Functional TCR T cell screening using single-cell droplet microfluidics. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:3733-3749. [PMID: 30397689 PMCID: PMC6279597 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00818c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Adoptive T cell transfer, in particular TCR T cell therapy, holds great promise for cancer immunotherapy with encouraging clinical results. However, finding the right TCR T cell clone is a tedious, time-consuming, and costly process. Thus, there is a critical need for single cell technologies to conduct fast and multiplexed functional analyses followed by recovery of the clone of interest. Here, we use droplet microfluidics for functional screening and real-time monitoring of single TCR T cell activation upon recognition of target tumor cells. Notably, our platform includes a tracking system for each clone as well as a sorting procedure with 100% specificity validated by downstream single cell reverse-transcription PCR and sequencing of TCR chains. Our TCR screening prototype will facilitate immunotherapeutic screening and development of T cell therapies.
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MESH Headings
- Antigens, Neoplasm/chemistry
- Antigens, Neoplasm/metabolism
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Equipment Design
- Humans
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive
- Microfluidic Analytical Techniques/instrumentation
- Neoplasms/therapy
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/analysis
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/chemistry
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Single-Cell Analysis/instrumentation
- Single-Cell Analysis/methods
- T-Lymphocytes/chemistry
- T-Lymphocytes/cytology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes/transplantation
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Affiliation(s)
- Aude I. Segaliny
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Edwards Life Sciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
| | - Guideng Li
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, U.S.A
- Center of Systems Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China
- Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Lingshun Kong
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Edwards Life Sciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
| | - Ci Ren
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Edwards Life Sciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
| | - Xiaoming Chen
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Edwards Life Sciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
| | - Jessica K. Wang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, U.S.A
| | - David Baltimore
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, U.S.A
| | - Guikai Wu
- Amberstone Biosciences LLC, Irvine, CA 92617, U.S.A
| | - Weian Zhao
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Edwards Life Sciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
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24
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Sinha N, Subedi N, Tel J. Integrating Immunology and Microfluidics for Single Immune Cell Analysis. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2373. [PMID: 30459757 PMCID: PMC6232771 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The field of immunoengineering aims to develop novel therapies and modern vaccines to manipulate and modulate the immune system and applies innovative technologies toward improved understanding of the immune system in health and disease. Microfluidics has proven to be an excellent technology for analytics in biology and chemistry. From simple microsystem chips to complex microfluidic designs, these platforms have witnessed an immense growth over the last decades with frequent emergence of new designs. Microfluidics provides a highly robust and precise tool which led to its widespread application in single-cell analysis of immune cells. Single-cell analysis allows scientists to account for the heterogeneous behavior of immune cells which often gets overshadowed when conventional bulk study methods are used. Application of single-cell analysis using microfluidics has facilitated the identification of several novel functional immune cell subsets, quantification of signaling molecules, and understanding of cellular communication and signaling pathways. Single-cell analysis research in combination with microfluidics has paved the way for the development of novel therapies, point-of-care diagnostics, and even more complex microfluidic platforms that aid in creating in vitro cellular microenvironments for applications in drug and toxicity screening. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview on the integration of microsystems and microfluidics with immunology and focus on different designs developed to decode single immune cell behavior and cellular communication. We have categorized the microfluidic designs in three specific categories: microfluidic chips with cell traps, valve-based microfluidics, and droplet microfluidics that have facilitated the ongoing research in the field of immunology at single-cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nidhi Sinha
- Laboratory of Immunoengineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Nikita Subedi
- Laboratory of Immunoengineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Jurjen Tel
- Laboratory of Immunoengineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
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25
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Zhu Y, Huang B, Shi J. Fas ligand and lytic granule differentially control cytotoxic dynamics of natural killer cell against cancer target. Oncotarget 2018; 7:47163-47172. [PMID: 27323411 PMCID: PMC5216932 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Interaction dynamics between Natural Killer (NK) cells and cancer targets have been the topic of many previous investigations, but the underlying rate-limiting kinetics and heterogeneity remain poorly understood. In this study, using quantitative single cell microscopy assay, we elucidate the differential dynamic control of NK-cancer cell interaction by multiple cytotoxic pathways. We found primary human NK cell, unlike NK cell line, killed adherent cancer target mainly by lytic granule-independent mechanism, in particular through Fas ligand (FasL). And the distinct kinetics of FasL and lytic granule pathway resulted in significant cell-to-cell variability. Killing by FasL occurred slowly, requiring transient, often multiple NK-cancer cell conjugations that gradually activated caspase-8, while lytic granule triggered rapid cytotoxicity by a switch-like induction of granzyme-B upon a single, prolonged conjugation. Moreover, interleukin 2 was observed to enhance both cytotoxic mechanisms by promoting target recognition by NK cell and increasing NK-cancer cell interaction frequency. Our results not only identify the key points of variation in the rate-limiting kinetics of NK-cancer cell cytotoxic interaction but also point to the importance of non-lytic granule mechanism for developing NK cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanting Zhu
- Center for Quantitative Systems Biology, Department of Physics and Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Bo Huang
- School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jue Shi
- Center for Quantitative Systems Biology, Department of Physics and Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
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26
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Abstract
Quantification of single-cell proteomics provides key insights in the field of cellular heterogeneity. This chapter discusses the emerging techniques that are being used to measure the protein copy numbers at the single-cell level, which includes flow cytometry, mass cytometry, droplet cytometry, microengraving, and single-cell barcoding microchip. The advantages and limitations of each technique are compared, and future research opportunities are highlighted.
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27
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Park H, Kim H, Doh J. Multifunctional Microwell Arrays for Single Cell Level Functional Analysis of Lymphocytes. Bioconjug Chem 2017; 29:672-679. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.7b00620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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28
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Sarkar S, Sabhachandani P, Ravi D, Potdar S, Purvey S, Beheshti A, Evens AM, Konry T. Dynamic Analysis of Human Natural Killer Cell Response at Single-Cell Resolution in B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Front Immunol 2017; 8:1736. [PMID: 29312292 PMCID: PMC5735063 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are phenotypically and functionally diverse lymphocytes that recognize and kill cancer cells. The susceptibility of target cancer cells to NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity depends on the strength and balance of regulatory (activating/inhibitory) ligands expressed on target cell surface. We performed gene expression arrays to determine patterns of NK cell ligands associated with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (b-NHL). Microarray analyses revealed significant upregulation of a multitude of NK-activating and costimulatory ligands across varied b-NHL cell lines and primary lymphoma cells, including ULBP1, CD72, CD48, and SLAMF6. To correlate genetic signatures with functional anti-lymphoma activity, we developed a dynamic and quantitative cytotoxicity assay in an integrated microfluidic droplet generation and docking array. Individual NK cells and target lymphoma cells were co-encapsulated in picoliter-volume droplets to facilitate monitoring of transient cellular interactions and NK cell effector outcomes at single-cell level. We identified significant variability in NK-lymphoma cell contact duration, frequency, and subsequent cytolysis. Death of lymphoma cells undergoing single contact with NK cells occurred faster than cells that made multiple short contacts. NK cells also killed target cells in droplets via contact-independent mechanisms that partially relied on calcium-dependent processes and perforin secretion, but not on cytokines (interferon-γ or tumor necrosis factor-α). We extended this technique to characterize functional heterogeneity in cytolysis of primary cells from b-NHL patients. Tumor cells from two diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients showed similar contact durations with NK cells; primary Burkitt lymphoma cells made longer contacts and were lysed at later times. We also tested the cytotoxic efficacy of NK-92, a continuously growing NK cell line being investigated as an antitumor therapy, using our droplet-based bioassay. NK-92 cells were found to be more efficient in killing b-NHL cells compared with primary NK cells, requiring shorter contacts for faster killing activity. Taken together, our combined genetic and microfluidic analysis demonstrate b-NHL cell sensitivity to NK cell-based cytotoxicity, which was associated with significant heterogeneity in the dynamic interaction at single-cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saheli Sarkar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Pooja Sabhachandani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Dashnamoorthy Ravi
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Molecular Oncology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sayalee Potdar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sneha Purvey
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Molecular Oncology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Afshin Beheshti
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Molecular Oncology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Andrew M Evens
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Molecular Oncology Research Institute, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Tania Konry
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
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29
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Xue Q, Bettini E, Paczkowski P, Ng C, Kaiser A, McConnell T, Kodrasi O, Quigley MF, Heath J, Fan R, Mackay S, Dudley ME, Kassim SH, Zhou J. Single-cell multiplexed cytokine profiling of CD19 CAR-T cells reveals a diverse landscape of polyfunctional antigen-specific response. J Immunother Cancer 2017; 5:85. [PMID: 29157295 PMCID: PMC5697351 DOI: 10.1186/s40425-017-0293-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It remains challenging to characterize the functional attributes of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cell product targeting CD19 related to potency and immunotoxicity ex vivo, despite promising in vivo efficacy in patients with B cell malignancies. Methods We employed a single-cell, 16-plex cytokine microfluidics device and new analysis techniques to evaluate the functional profile of CD19 CAR-T cells upon antigen-specific stimulation. CAR-T cells were manufactured from human PBMCs transfected with the lentivirus encoding the CD19-BB-z transgene and expanded with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 coated beads. The enriched CAR-T cells were stimulated with anti-CAR or control IgG beads, stained with anti-CD4 RPE and anti-CD8 Alexa Fluor 647 antibodies, and incubated for 16 h in a single-cell barcode chip (SCBC). Each SCBC contains ~12,000 microchambers, covered with a glass slide that was pre-patterned with a complete copy of a 16-plex antibody array. Protein secretions from single CAR-T cells were captured and subsequently analyzed using proprietary software and new visualization methods. Results We demonstrate a new method for single-cell profiling of CD19 CAR-T pre-infusion products prepared from 4 healthy donors. CAR-T single cells exhibited a marked heterogeneity of cytokine secretions and polyfunctional (2+ cytokine) subsets specific to anti-CAR bead stimulation. The breadth of responses includes anti-tumor effector (Granzyme B, IFN-γ, MIP-1α, TNF-α), stimulatory (GM-CSF, IL-2, IL-8), regulatory (IL-4, IL-13, IL-22), and inflammatory (IL-6, IL-17A) functions. Furthermore, we developed two new bioinformatics tools for more effective polyfunctional subset visualization and comparison between donors. Conclusions Single-cell, multiplexed, proteomic profiling of CD19 CAR-T product reveals a diverse landscape of immune effector response of CD19 CAR-T cells to antigen-specific challenge, providing a new platform for capturing CAR-T product data for correlative analysis. Additionally, such high dimensional data requires new visualization methods to further define precise polyfunctional response differences in these products. The presented biomarker capture and analysis system provides a more sensitive and comprehensive functional assessment of CAR-T pre-infusion products and may provide insights into the safety and efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40425-017-0293-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiong Xue
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals, 64 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA. .,Present Address: Novartis Institute of BioMedical Research, 300 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
| | - Emily Bettini
- IsoPlexis Corporation, 35 NE Industrial Rd, Branford, CT, 06405, USA
| | | | - Colin Ng
- IsoPlexis Corporation, 35 NE Industrial Rd, Branford, CT, 06405, USA
| | - Alaina Kaiser
- IsoPlexis Corporation, 35 NE Industrial Rd, Branford, CT, 06405, USA
| | - Timothy McConnell
- IsoPlexis Corporation, 35 NE Industrial Rd, Branford, CT, 06405, USA
| | - Olja Kodrasi
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals, 64 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.,Present Address: Novartis Institute of BioMedical Research, 64 Sidney street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Máire F Quigley
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals, 64 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.,Present Address: Novartis Pharmaceuticals, 45 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - James Heath
- NanoSystems Biology Cancer Center, Division of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Rong Fan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Sean Mackay
- IsoPlexis Corporation, 35 NE Industrial Rd, Branford, CT, 06405, USA
| | - Mark E Dudley
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals, 64 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.,Present Address: Adaptimmune, 351 Rouse Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19112, USA
| | - Sadik H Kassim
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals, 64 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.,Present Address: Mustang Bio, 95 Sawyer Road, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Jing Zhou
- IsoPlexis Corporation, 35 NE Industrial Rd, Branford, CT, 06405, USA.
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30
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Xu Y, Zhou S, Lam YW, Pang SW. Dynamics of Natural Killer Cells Cytotoxicity in Microwell Arrays with Connecting Channels. Front Immunol 2017; 8:998. [PMID: 28861090 PMCID: PMC5562680 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells serve an important role in immune system by recognizing and killing the potentially malignant cells without antigen sensitization, and could be promising in cancer therapy. We have designed and fabricated microwell arrays with microchannel connections in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates to study the interaction dynamics of NK-92MI cells with MCF7 breast cancer cells using time-lapse imaging by fluorescence microscopy for 15 h. Although cell seeding density was the same, NK cell cytotoxicity was found to be higher in larger microwells, which is manifested as increased target death ratio from 13.7 ± 3.1 to 46.3 ± 3.3% and shorter triggering time of first target lysis from 502 ± 49 to 391 ± 63 min in 150 μm × 150 μm microwells comparing to 50 μm × 50 μm wells in 15 h. Mirochannel connection between adjacent microwells of the same size increased the overall target death ratio by >10%, while connection between microwells of different sizes led to significantly increased target death ratio and delayed first target lysis in smaller microwells. Our findings reveal unique cell interaction dynamics, such as initiation and stimulation, of NK cell cytotoxicity in a confined microenvironment, which is different from population-based study, and the results could lead to a better understanding of the dynamics of NK cell cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanhao Xu
- Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.,Center for Biosystems, Neuroscience, and Nanotechnology, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Shufan Zhou
- Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.,Center for Biosystems, Neuroscience, and Nanotechnology, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Yun Wah Lam
- Center for Biosystems, Neuroscience, and Nanotechnology, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.,Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Stella W Pang
- Department of Electronic Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.,Center for Biosystems, Neuroscience, and Nanotechnology, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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31
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Li Y, Jang JH, Wang C, He B, Zhang K, Zhang P, Vu T, Qin L. Microfluidics Cell Loading-Dock System: Ordered Cellular Array for Dynamic Lymphocyte-Communication Study. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 1:e1700085. [PMID: 32646193 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.201700085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2017] [Revised: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
It remains a great challenge to establish a high-throughput platform that can explore the interactions among multiple lymphocytes (>2 cells) and retrieve the interested cells for downstream analysis. This study demonstrates a microfluidics cell loading-dock system (Cell-Dock) to enclose multiple cells in 1D, 2D, and 3D chambers with high throughput and efficiency and single-cell accuracy. The loading efficiencies of 95%, 85%, and 74% for one-, three-, and five-cell systems are achieved, respectively. The Cell-Dock system provides precise and dynamic cell packing models to facilitate lymphocyte-interaction studies. The results demonstrate that individual natural killer (NK) cells may function independently rather than cooperate to lyse target cells in the defined microenvironment. Furthermore, the strong/weak NK cells are retrieved based on their on-chip cytotoxicity and mRNA sequencing is conducted to find the possible mechanisms for "serial killing," an important but unsolved issue. This study finds that the stronger NK cells overexpress multiple genes involved in cytotoxicity and adhesion molecules (including the well-known ICAM1 and seldom reported B4GALT1) might play important roles in the regulation of NK cytolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, 6670 Bertner Ave, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Joon Hee Jang
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, 6670 Bertner Ave, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Crystal Wang
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, 6670 Bertner Ave, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Bangshun He
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, 6670 Bertner Ave, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA.,Central Laboratory, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210006, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, 6670 Bertner Ave, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Pengchao Zhang
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, 6670 Bertner Ave, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Timothy Vu
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, 6670 Bertner Ave, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Lidong Qin
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, 6670 Bertner Ave, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.,Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA
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32
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Prakadan SM, Shalek AK, Weitz DA. Scaling by shrinking: empowering single-cell 'omics' with microfluidic devices. Nat Rev Genet 2017; 18:345-361. [PMID: 28392571 DOI: 10.1038/nrg.2017.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 212] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in cellular profiling have demonstrated substantial heterogeneity in the behaviour of cells once deemed 'identical', challenging fundamental notions of cell 'type' and 'state'. Not surprisingly, these findings have elicited substantial interest in deeply characterizing the diversity, interrelationships and plasticity among cellular phenotypes. To explore these questions, experimental platforms are needed that can extensively and controllably profile many individual cells. Here, microfluidic structures - whether valve-, droplet- or nanowell-based - have an important role because they can facilitate easy capture and processing of single cells and their components, reducing labour and costs relative to conventional plate-based methods while also improving consistency. In this article, we review the current state-of-the-art methodologies with respect to microfluidics for mammalian single-cell 'omics' and discuss challenges and future opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanjay M Prakadan
- Institute for Medical Engineering &Science (IMES) and Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.,Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Alex K Shalek
- Institute for Medical Engineering &Science (IMES) and Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.,Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - David A Weitz
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.,Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
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33
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Lu Y, Yang L, Wei W, Shi Q. Microchip-based single-cell functional proteomics for biomedical applications. LAB ON A CHIP 2017; 17:1250-1263. [PMID: 28280819 PMCID: PMC5459479 DOI: 10.1039/c7lc00037e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Cellular heterogeneity has been widely recognized but only recently have single cell tools become available that allow characterizing heterogeneity at the genomic and proteomic levels. We review the technological advances in microchip-based toolkits for single-cell functional proteomics. Each of these tools has distinct advantages and limitations, and a few have advanced toward being applied to address biological or clinical problems that traditional population-based methods fail to address. High-throughput single-cell proteomic assays generate high-dimensional data sets that contain new information and thus require developing new analytical frameworks to extract new biology. In this review article, we highlight a few biological and clinical applications in which microchip-based single-cell proteomic tools provide unique advantages. The examples include resolving functional heterogeneity and dynamics of immune cells, dissecting cell-cell interaction by creating a well-controlled on-chip microenvironment, capturing high-resolution snapshots of immune system functions in patients for better immunotherapy and elucidating phosphoprotein signaling networks in cancer cells for guiding effective molecularly targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Lu
- Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, China
| | - Liu Yang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Qihui Shi
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
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34
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Vu TQ, de Castro RMB, Qin L. Bridging the gap: microfluidic devices for short and long distance cell-cell communication. LAB ON A CHIP 2017; 17:1009-1023. [PMID: 28205652 PMCID: PMC5473339 DOI: 10.1039/c6lc01367h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Cell-cell communication is a crucial component of many biological functions. For example, understanding how immune cells and cancer cells interact, both at the immunological synapse and through cytokine secretion, can help us understand and improve cancer immunotherapy. The study of how cells communicate and form synaptic connections is important in neuroscience, ophthalmology, and cancer research. But in order to increase our understanding of these cellular phenomena, better tools need to be developed that allow us to study cell-cell communication in a highly controlled manner. Some technical requirements for better communication studies include manipulating cells spatiotemporally, high resolution imaging, and integrating sensors. Microfluidics is a powerful platform that has the ability to address these requirements and other current limitations. In this review, we describe some new advances in microfluidic technologies that have provided researchers with novel methods to study intercellular communication. The advantages of microfluidics have allowed for new capabilities in both single cell-cell communication and population-based communication. This review highlights microfluidic communication devices categorized as "short distance", or primarily at the single cell level, and "long distance", which mostly encompasses population level studies. Future directions and translation/commercialization will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Quang Vu
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77030, USA and Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Ricardo Miguel Bessa de Castro
- College of Engineering, Swansea University Singleton Park, Swansea, UK and Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Lidong Qin
- Department of Nanomedicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA. and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065, USA
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35
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Gierahn TM, Wadsworth MH, Hughes TK, Bryson BD, Butler A, Satija R, Fortune S, Love JC, Shalek AK. Seq-Well: portable, low-cost RNA sequencing of single cells at high throughput. Nat Methods 2017; 14:395-398. [PMID: 28192419 PMCID: PMC5376227 DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.4179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 558] [Impact Index Per Article: 79.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 12/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Single-cell RNA-Seq can precisely resolve cellular states but application to sparse samples is challenging. Here, we present Seq-Well, a portable, low-cost platform for massively-parallel single-cell RNA-Seq. Barcoded mRNA capture beads and single cells are sealed in an array of subnanoliter wells using a semi-permeable membrane, enabling efficient cell lysis and transcript capture. We characterize Seq-Well using species-mixing experiments and PBMCs, and profile thousands of primary human macrophages exposed to tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd M Gierahn
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Marc H Wadsworth
- Institute for Medical Engineering &Science (IMES) and Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Travis K Hughes
- Institute for Medical Engineering &Science (IMES) and Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bryan D Bryson
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew Butler
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York, USA.,New York Genome Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Rahul Satija
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York, USA.,New York Genome Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sarah Fortune
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - J Christopher Love
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alex K Shalek
- Institute for Medical Engineering &Science (IMES) and Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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36
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Sarkar S, Sabhachandani P, Stroopinsky D, Palmer K, Cohen N, Rosenblatt J, Avigan D, Konry T. Dynamic analysis of immune and cancer cell interactions at single cell level in microfluidic droplets. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2016; 10:054115. [PMID: 27795747 PMCID: PMC5065572 DOI: 10.1063/1.4964716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Cell-cell communication mediates immune responses to physiological stimuli at local and systemic levels. Intercellular communication occurs via a direct contact between cells as well as by secretory contact-independent mechanisms. However, there are few existing methods that allow quantitative resolution of contact-dependent and independent cellular processes in a rapid, precisely controlled, and dynamic format. This study utilizes a high-throughput microfluidic droplet array platform to analyze cell-cell interaction and effector functions at single cell level. Controlled encapsulation of distinct heterotypic cell pairs was achieved in a single-step cell loading process. Dynamic analysis of dendritic cell (DC)-T cell interactions demonstrated marked heterogeneity in the type of contact and duration. Non-stimulated DCs and T cells interacted less frequently and more transiently while antigen and chemokine-loaded DCs and T cells depicted highly stable interactions in addition to transient and sequential contact. The effector function of CD8+ T cells was assessed via cytolysis of multiple myeloma cell line. Variable cell conjugation periods and killing time were detected irrespective of the activation of T cells, although activated T cells delivered significantly higher cytotoxicity. T cell alloreactivity against the target cells was partially mediated by secretion of interferon gamma, which was abrogated by the addition of a neutralizing antibody. These results suggest that the droplet array-based microfluidic platform is a powerful technique for dynamic phenotypic screening and potentially applicable for evaluation of novel cell-based immunotherapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Sarkar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - P Sabhachandani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - D Stroopinsky
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - K Palmer
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - N Cohen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - J Rosenblatt
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - D Avigan
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - T Konry
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University , 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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37
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Dura B, Servos MM, Barry RM, Ploegh HL, Dougan SK, Voldman J. Longitudinal multiparameter assay of lymphocyte interactions from onset by microfluidic cell pairing and culture. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E3599-608. [PMID: 27303033 PMCID: PMC4932925 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1515364113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Resolving how the early signaling events initiated by cell-cell interactions are transduced into diverse functional outcomes necessitates correlated measurements at various stages. Typical approaches that rely on bulk cocultures and population-wide correlations, however, only reveal these relationships broadly at the population level, not within each individual cell. Here, we present a microfluidics-based cell-cell interaction assay that enables longitudinal investigation of lymphocyte interactions at the single-cell level through microfluidic cell pairing, on-chip culture, and multiparameter assays, and allows recovery of desired cell pairs by micromanipulation for off-chip culture and analyses. Well-defined initiation of interactions enables probing cellular responses from the very onset, permitting single-cell correlation analyses between early signaling dynamics and later-stage functional outcomes within same cells. We demonstrate the utility of this microfluidic assay with natural killer cells interacting with tumor cells, and our findings suggest a possible role for the strength of early calcium signaling in selective coordination of subsequent cytotoxicity and IFN-gamma production. Collectively, our experiments demonstrate that this new approach is well-suited for resolving the relationships between complex immune responses within each individual cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Burak Dura
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; Microsystems Technology Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139;
| | - Mariah M Servos
- Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Rachel M Barry
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Hidde L Ploegh
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142
| | - Stephanie K Dougan
- Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215; Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142; Division of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Joel Voldman
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; Microsystems Technology Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139;
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38
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Guldevall K, Brandt L, Forslund E, Olofsson K, Frisk TW, Olofsson PE, Gustafsson K, Manneberg O, Vanherberghen B, Brismar H, Kärre K, Uhlin M, Önfelt B. Microchip Screening Platform for Single Cell Assessment of NK Cell Cytotoxicity. Front Immunol 2016; 7:119. [PMID: 27092139 PMCID: PMC4820656 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2016.00119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2015] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we report a screening platform for assessment of the cytotoxic potential of individual natural killer (NK) cells within larger populations. Human primary NK cells were distributed across a silicon-glass microchip containing 32,400 individual microwells loaded with target cells. Through fluorescence screening and automated image analysis, the numbers of NK and live or dead target cells in each well could be assessed at different time points after initial mixing. Cytotoxicity was also studied by time-lapse live-cell imaging in microwells quantifying the killing potential of individual NK cells. Although most resting NK cells (≈75%) were non-cytotoxic against the leukemia cell line K562, some NK cells were able to kill several (≥3) target cells within the 12-h long experiment. In addition, the screening approach was adapted to increase the chance to find and evaluate serial killing NK cells. Even if the cytotoxic potential varied between donors, it was evident that a small fraction of highly cytotoxic NK cells were responsible for a substantial portion of the killing. We demonstrate multiple assays where our platform can be used to enumerate and characterize cytotoxic cells, such as NK or T cells. This approach could find use in clinical applications, e.g., in the selection of donors for stem cell transplantation or generation of highly specific and cytotoxic cells for adoptive immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolin Guldevall
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , Solna , Sweden
| | - Ludwig Brandt
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , Solna , Sweden
| | - Elin Forslund
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden; Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Karl Olofsson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , Solna , Sweden
| | - Thomas W Frisk
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , Solna , Sweden
| | - Per E Olofsson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , Solna , Sweden
| | - Karin Gustafsson
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , Solna , Sweden
| | - Otto Manneberg
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , Solna , Sweden
| | - Bruno Vanherberghen
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , Solna , Sweden
| | - Hjalmar Brismar
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology , Solna , Sweden
| | - Klas Kärre
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden
| | - Michael Uhlin
- Center for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Huddinge University Hospital, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Björn Önfelt
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Solna, Sweden; Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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Heath JR, Ribas A, Mischel PS. Single-cell analysis tools for drug discovery and development. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2016; 15:204-16. [PMID: 26669673 PMCID: PMC4883669 DOI: 10.1038/nrd.2015.16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 334] [Impact Index Per Article: 41.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The genetic, functional or compositional heterogeneity of healthy and diseased tissues presents major challenges in drug discovery and development. Such heterogeneity hinders the design of accurate disease models and can confound the interpretation of biomarker levels and of patient responses to specific therapies. The complex nature of virtually all tissues has motivated the development of tools for single-cell genomic, transcriptomic and multiplex proteomic analyses. Here, we review these tools and assess their advantages and limitations. Emerging applications of single cell analysis tools in drug discovery and development, particularly in the field of oncology, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Heath
- California Institute of Technology Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, MC 127-72, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
| | - Antoni Ribas
- Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - Paul S Mischel
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research San Diego, Department of Pathology and Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, USA
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40
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Konry T, Sarkar S, Sabhachandani P, Cohen N. Innovative Tools and Technology for Analysis of Single Cells and Cell-Cell Interaction. Annu Rev Biomed Eng 2016; 18:259-84. [PMID: 26928209 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-090215-112735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Heterogeneity in single-cell responses and intercellular interactions results from complex regulation of cell-intrinsic and environmental factors. Single-cell analysis allows not only detection of individual cellular characteristics but also correlation of genetic content with phenotypic traits in the same cell. Technological advances in micro- and nanofabrication have benefited single-cell analysis by allowing precise control of the localized microenvironment, cell manipulation, and sensitive detection capabilities. Additionally, microscale techniques permit rapid, high-throughput, multiparametric screening that has become essential for -omics research. This review highlights innovative applications of microscale platforms in genetic, proteomic, and metabolic detection in single cells; cell sorting strategies; and heterotypic cell-cell interaction. We discuss key design aspects of single-cell localization and isolation in microfluidic systems, dynamic and endpoint analyses, and approaches that integrate highly multiplexed detection of various intracellular species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Konry
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; , , ,
| | - Saheli Sarkar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; , , ,
| | - Pooja Sabhachandani
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; , , ,
| | - Noa Cohen
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115; , , ,
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41
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Dlamini Z, Rupnarain C, Naicker S, Hull R, Mbita Z. Expression analysis and association of RBBP6 with apoptosis in colon cancers. J Mol Histol 2016; 47:169-82. [DOI: 10.1007/s10735-016-9663-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 02/11/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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42
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Warrick JW, Timm A, Swick A, Yin J. Tools for Single-Cell Kinetic Analysis of Virus-Host Interactions. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0145081. [PMID: 26752057 PMCID: PMC4713429 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 11/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Measures of cellular gene expression or behavior, when performed on individual cells, inevitably reveal a diversity of behaviors and outcomes that can correlate with normal or diseased states. For virus infections, the potential diversity of outcomes are pushed to an extreme, where measures of infection reflect features of the specific infecting virus particle, the individual host cell, as well as interactions between viral and cellular components. Single-cell measures, while revealing, still often rely on specialized fluid handling capabilities, employ end-point measures, and remain labor-intensive to perform. To address these limitations, we consider a new microwell-based device that uses simple pipette-based fluid handling to isolate individual cells. Our design allows different experimental conditions to be implemented in a single device, permitting easier and more standardized protocols. Further, we utilize a recently reported dual-color fluorescent reporter system that provides dynamic readouts of viral and cellular gene expression during single-cell infections by vesicular stomatitis virus. In addition, we develop and show how free, open-source software can enable streamlined data management and batch image analysis. Here we validate the integration of the device and software using the reporter system to demonstrate unique single-cell dynamic measures of cellular responses to viral infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay W. Warrick
- Systems Biology Theme, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Andrea Timm
- Systems Biology Theme, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - Adam Swick
- Systems Biology Theme, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
| | - John Yin
- Systems Biology Theme, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States of America
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44
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Microwell-Based Live Cell Imaging of NK Cell Dynamics to Assess Heterogeneity in Motility and Cytotoxic Response. Methods Mol Biol 2016; 1441:87-106. [PMID: 27177659 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3684-7_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
NK cell heterogeneity has primarily been studied either on the population level, measuring average responses, or on the single cell level by flow cytometry, providing static snapshots. These approaches have certain drawbacks, not enabling dynamic observations of single cells over extended periods of time. One of the primary limitations of single cell imaging has been throughput; it has been challenging to collect data for many cells due to their dynamic nature and migrating out of the field of view. Spatially confining cells combined with automated fluorescence microscopy enables the simultaneous monitoring of many NK cells in parallel for extended periods of time (>12 h). Such an approach allows us to dissect how the sum of individual NK cell responses translates to the global average response typically observed.
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45
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Clonal expansion under the microscope: studying lymphocyte activation and differentiation using live‐cell imaging. Immunol Cell Biol 2015; 94:242-9. [DOI: 10.1038/icb.2015.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2015] [Revised: 11/12/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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46
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Abstract
In 2000 the United States launched the National Nanotechnology Initiative and, along with it, a well-defined set of goals for nanomedicine. This Perspective looks back at the progress made toward those goals, within the context of the changing landscape in biomedicine that has occurred over the past 15 years, and considers advances that are likely to occur during the next decade. In particular, nanotechnologies for health-related genomics and single-cell biology, inorganic and organic nanoparticles for biomedicine, and wearable nanotechnologies for wellness monitoring are briefly covered.
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Affiliation(s)
- James R Heath
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125
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47
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48
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Abstract
Biosensors first appeared several decades ago to address the need for monitoring physiological parameters such as oxygen or glucose in biological fluids such as blood. More recently, a new wave of biosensors has emerged in order to provide more nuanced and granular information about the composition and function of living cells. Such biosensors exist at the confluence of technology and medicine and often strive to connect cell phenotype or function to physiological or pathophysiological processes. Our review aims to describe some of the key technological aspects of biosensors being developed for cell analysis. The technological aspects covered in our review include biorecognition elements used for biosensor construction, methods for integrating cells with biosensors, approaches to single-cell analysis, and the use of nanostructured biosensors for cell analysis. Our hope is that the spectrum of possibilities for cell analysis described in this review may pique the interest of biomedical scientists and engineers and may spur new collaborations in the area of using biosensors for cell analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Zhou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California 95616;
| | - Kyungjin Son
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California 95616;
| | - Ying Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California 95616;
| | - Alexander Revzin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California 95616;
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49
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Dura B, Voldman J. Spatially and temporally controlled immune cell interactions using microscale tools. Curr Opin Immunol 2015; 35:23-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2015.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Revised: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 05/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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50
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Merouane A, Rey-Villamizar N, Lu Y, Liadi I, Romain G, Lu J, Singh H, Cooper LJN, Varadarajan N, Roysam B. Automated profiling of individual cell-cell interactions from high-throughput time-lapse imaging microscopy in nanowell grids (TIMING). Bioinformatics 2015; 31:3189-97. [PMID: 26059718 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btv355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2014] [Accepted: 06/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION There is a need for effective automated methods for profiling dynamic cell-cell interactions with single-cell resolution from high-throughput time-lapse imaging data, especially, the interactions between immune effector cells and tumor cells in adoptive immunotherapy. RESULTS Fluorescently labeled human T cells, natural killer cells (NK), and various target cells (NALM6, K562, EL4) were co-incubated on polydimethylsiloxane arrays of sub-nanoliter wells (nanowells), and imaged using multi-channel time-lapse microscopy. The proposed cell segmentation and tracking algorithms account for cell variability and exploit the nanowell confinement property to increase the yield of correctly analyzed nanowells from 45% (existing algorithms) to 98% for wells containing one effector and a single target, enabling automated quantification of cell locations, morphologies, movements, interactions, and deaths without the need for manual proofreading. Automated analysis of recordings from 12 different experiments demonstrated automated nanowell delineation accuracy >99%, automated cell segmentation accuracy >95%, and automated cell tracking accuracy of 90%, with default parameters, despite variations in illumination, staining, imaging noise, cell morphology, and cell clustering. An example analysis revealed that NK cells efficiently discriminate between live and dead targets by altering the duration of conjugation. The data also demonstrated that cytotoxic cells display higher motility than non-killers, both before and during contact. CONTACT broysam@central.uh.edu or nvaradar@central.uh.edu SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yanbin Lu
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and
| | - Ivan Liadi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA and
| | - Gabrielle Romain
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA and
| | - Jennifer Lu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA and
| | - Harjeet Singh
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Laurence J N Cooper
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Navin Varadarajan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA and
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