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Chiang CC, Anne R, Chawla P, Shaw RM, He S, Rock EC, Zhou M, Cheng J, Gong YN, Chen YC. Deep learning unlocks label-free viability assessment of cancer spheroids in microfluidics. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:3169-3182. [PMID: 38804084 PMCID: PMC11165951 DOI: 10.1039/d4lc00197d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Despite recent advances in cancer treatment, refining therapeutic agents remains a critical task for oncologists. Precise evaluation of drug effectiveness necessitates the use of 3D cell culture instead of traditional 2D monolayers. Microfluidic platforms have enabled high-throughput drug screening with 3D models, but current viability assays for 3D cancer spheroids have limitations in reliability and cytotoxicity. This study introduces a deep learning model for non-destructive, label-free viability estimation based on phase-contrast images, providing a cost-effective, high-throughput solution for continuous spheroid monitoring in microfluidics. Microfluidic technology facilitated the creation of a high-throughput cancer spheroid platform with approximately 12 000 spheroids per chip for drug screening. Validation involved tests with eight conventional chemotherapeutic drugs, revealing a strong correlation between viability assessed via LIVE/DEAD staining and phase-contrast morphology. Extending the model's application to novel compounds and cell lines not in the training dataset yielded promising results, implying the potential for a universal viability estimation model. Experiments with an alternative microscopy setup supported the model's transferability across different laboratories. Using this method, we also tracked the dynamic changes in spheroid viability during the course of drug administration. In summary, this research integrates a robust platform with high-throughput microfluidic cancer spheroid assays and deep learning-based viability estimation, with broad applicability to various cell lines, compounds, and research settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Cheng Chiang
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, 5115 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA.
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, 3420 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Rajiv Anne
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, 5115 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3700 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Pooja Chawla
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3700 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Rachel M Shaw
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3700 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Sarah He
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, 5115 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA.
- Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Biological Sciences, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Edwin C Rock
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3700 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Mengli Zhou
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, 5115 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA.
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, 3420 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, China
| | - Jinxiong Cheng
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, 5115 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3700 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Yi-Nan Gong
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, 5115 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA.
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3420 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Yu-Chih Chen
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh, 5115 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA.
- Department of Computational and Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh, 3420 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 3700 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- CMU-Pitt Ph.D. Program in Computational Biology, University of Pittsburgh, 3420 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
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2
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Nishida‐Aoki N, Ochiya T. Impacts of tissue context on extracellular vesicles-mediated cancer-host cell communications. Cancer Sci 2024; 115:1726-1737. [PMID: 38532284 PMCID: PMC11145126 DOI: 10.1111/cas.16161] [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: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Tumor tissue is densely packed with cancer cells, non-cancerous cells, and ECM, forming functional structures. Cancer cells transfer extracellular vesicles (EVs) to modify surrounding normal cells into cancer-promoting cells, establishing a tumor-favorable environment together with other signaling molecules and structural components. Such tissue environments largely affect cancer cell properties, and so as EV-mediated cellular communications within tumor tissue. However, current research on EVs focuses on functional analysis of vesicles isolated from the liquid phase, including cell culture supernatants and blood draws, 2D-cultured cell assays, or systemic analyses on animal models for biodistribution. Therefore, we have a limited understanding of local EV transfer within tumor tissues. In this review, we discuss the need to study EVs in a physiological tissue context by summarizing the current findings on the impacts of tumor tissue environment on cancer EV properties and transfer and the techniques required for the analysis. Tumor tissue environment is likely to alter EV properties, pose physical barriers, interactions, and interstitial flows for the dynamics, and introduce varieties in the cell types taken up. Utilizing physiological experimental settings and spatial analyses, we need to tackle the remaining questions on physiological EV-mediated cancer-host cell interactions. Understanding cancer EV-mediated cellular communications in physiological tumor tissues will lead to developing interaction-targeting therapies and provide insight into EV-mediated non-cancerous cells and interspecies interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Takahiro Ochiya
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Center for Future Medical Research, Institute of Medical ScienceTokyo Medical UniversityTokyoJapan
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3
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Nguyen KT, Rima XY, Nguyen LTH, Wang X, Kwak KJ, Yoon MJ, Li H, Chiang CL, Doon-Ralls J, Scherler K, Fallen S, Godfrey SL, Wallick JA, Magaña SM, Palmer AF, Lee I, Nunn CC, Reeves KM, Kaplan HG, Goldman JD, Heath JR, Wang K, Pancholi P, Lee LJ, Reátegui E. Integrated Antigenic and Nucleic Acid Detection in Single Virions and Extracellular Vesicles with Viral Content. Adv Healthc Mater 2024:e2400622. [PMID: 38820600 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202400622] [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: 02/18/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Virion-mediated outbreaks are imminent and despite rapid responses, continue to cause adverse symptoms and death. Therefore, tunable, sensitive, high-throughput assays are needed to help diagnose future virion-mediated outbreaks. Herein, it is developed a tunable in situ assay to selectively enrich virions and extracellular vesicles (EVs) and simultaneously detect antigens and nucleic acids at a single-particle resolution. The Biochip Antigen and RNA Assay (BARA) enhanced sensitivities compared to quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), enabling the detection of virions in asymptomatic patients, genetic mutations in single virions, and enabling the continued long-term expression of viral RNA in the EV-enriched subpopulation in the plasma of patients with post-acute sequelae of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). BARA revealed highly accurate diagnoses of COVID-19 by simultaneously detecting the spike glycoprotein and nucleocapsid-encoding RNA in saliva and nasopharyngeal swab samples. Altogether, the single-particle detection of antigens and viral RNA provides a tunable framework for the diagnosis, monitoring, and mutation screening of current and future outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Truc Nguyen
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Xilal Y Rima
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
- Diabetes and Metabolism Research Center, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Luong T H Nguyen
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Xinyu Wang
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | | | - Min Jin Yoon
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Hong Li
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Chi-Ling Chiang
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Jacob Doon-Ralls
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Setty M Magaña
- Translational Neuroimmunology, Center for Clinical and Translational Research, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Andre F Palmer
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Inyoul Lee
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | | | | | - Henry G Kaplan
- Providence Swedish Cancer Institute, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
| | - Jason D Goldman
- Providence Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA, 98104, USA
- Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - James R Heath
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Kai Wang
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Preeti Pancholi
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, 43203, USA
| | - L James Lee
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Eduardo Reátegui
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
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4
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Lou C, Yang H, Hou Y, Huang H, Qiu J, Wang C, Sang Y, Liu H, Han L. Microfluidic Platforms for Real-Time In Situ Monitoring of Biomarkers for Cellular Processes. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2307051. [PMID: 37844125 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202307051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Cellular processes are mechanisms carried out at the cellular level that are aimed at guaranteeing the stability of the organism they comprise. The investigation of cellular processes is key to understanding cell fate, understanding pathogenic mechanisms, and developing new therapeutic technologies. Microfluidic platforms are thought to be the most powerful tools among all methodologies for investigating cellular processes because they can integrate almost all types of the existing intracellular and extracellular biomarker-sensing methods and observation approaches for cell behavior, combined with precisely controlled cell culture, manipulation, stimulation, and analysis. Most importantly, microfluidic platforms can realize real-time in situ detection of secreted proteins, exosomes, and other biomarkers produced during cell physiological processes, thereby providing the possibility to draw the whole picture for a cellular process. Owing to their advantages of high throughput, low sample consumption, and precise cell control, microfluidic platforms with real-time in situ monitoring characteristics are widely being used in cell analysis, disease diagnosis, pharmaceutical research, and biological production. This review focuses on the basic concepts, recent progress, and application prospects of microfluidic platforms for real-time in situ monitoring of biomarkers in cellular processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengming Lou
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China
| | - Hongru Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China
| | - Ying Hou
- Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research (IAIR), University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, P. R. China
| | - Haina Huang
- Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research (IAIR), University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, P. R. China
| | - Jichuan Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China
| | - Chunhua Wang
- Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research (IAIR), University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, P. R. China
| | - Yuanhua Sang
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China
| | - Hong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China
- Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research (IAIR), University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, P. R. China
| | - Lin Han
- Institute of Marine Science and Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266000, P. R. China
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5
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Rodrigues DB, Reis RL, Pirraco RP. Modelling the complex nature of the tumor microenvironment: 3D tumor spheroids as an evolving tool. J Biomed Sci 2024; 31:13. [PMID: 38254117 PMCID: PMC10804490 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-024-00997-9] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer remains a serious burden in society and while the pace in the development of novel and more effective therapeutics is increasing, testing platforms that faithfully mimic the tumor microenvironment are lacking. With a clear shift from animal models to more complex in vitro 3D systems, spheroids emerge as strong options in this regard. Years of development have allowed spheroid-based models to better reproduce the biomechanical cues that are observed in the tumor-associated extracellular matrix (ECM) and cellular interactions that occur in both a cell-cell and cell-ECM manner. Here, we summarize some of the key cellular interactions that drive tumor development, progression and invasion, and how successfully are these interactions recapitulated in 3D spheroid models currently in use in the field. We finish by speculating on future advancements in the field and on how these can shape the relevance of spherical 3D models for tumor modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Rodrigues
- 3B's Research Group, I3Bs, Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence On Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017, Guimarães, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, 4805-017, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Rui L Reis
- 3B's Research Group, I3Bs, Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence On Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017, Guimarães, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, 4805-017, Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Rogério P Pirraco
- 3B's Research Group, I3Bs, Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence On Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, 4805-017, Guimarães, Portugal.
- ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, 4805-017, Guimarães, Portugal.
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6
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Zhang J, Rima XY, Wang X, Nguyen LTH, Huntoon K, Ma Y, Palacio PL, Nguyen KT, Albert K, Duong‐Thi M, Walters N, Kwak KJ, Yoon MJ, Li H, Doon‐Ralls J, Hisey CL, Lee D, Wang Y, Ha J, Scherler K, Fallen S, Lee I, Palmer AF, Jiang W, Magaña SM, Wang K, Kim BYS, Lee LJ, Reátegui E. Engineering a tunable micropattern-array assay to sort single extracellular vesicles and particles to detect RNA and protein in situ. J Extracell Vesicles 2023; 12:e12369. [PMID: 37908159 PMCID: PMC10618633 DOI: 10.1002/jev2.12369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecular heterogeneity of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and the co-isolation of physically similar particles, such as lipoproteins (LPs), confounds and limits the sensitivity of EV bulk biomarker characterization. Herein, we present a single-EV and particle (siEVP) protein and RNA assay (siEVP PRA) to simultaneously detect mRNAs, miRNAs, and proteins in subpopulations of EVs and LPs. The siEVP PRA immobilizes and sorts particles via positive immunoselection onto micropatterns and focuses biomolecular signals in situ. By detecting EVPs at a single-particle resolution, the siEVP PRA outperformed the sensitivities of bulk-analysis benchmark assays for RNA and protein. To assess the specificity of RNA detection in complex biofluids, EVs from various glioma cell lines were processed with small RNA sequencing, whereby two mRNAs and two miRNAs associated with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) were chosen for cross-validation. Despite the presence of single-EV-LP co-isolates in serum, the siEVP PRA detected GBM-associated vesicular RNA profiles in GBM patient siEVPs. The siEVP PRA effectively examines intravesicular, intervesicular, and interparticle heterogeneity with diagnostic promise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Zhang
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Xilal Y. Rima
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Xinyu Wang
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Luong T. H. Nguyen
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Kristin Huntoon
- Department of NeurosurgeryThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
- The Brain Tumor CenterThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Yifan Ma
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Paola Loreto Palacio
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of NeurologyNationwide Children's HospitalColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Kim Truc Nguyen
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Karunya Albert
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Minh‐Dao Duong‐Thi
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Nicole Walters
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | | | - Min Jin Yoon
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Hong Li
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Jacob Doon‐Ralls
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Colin L. Hisey
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Daeyong Lee
- Department of NeurosurgeryThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Yifan Wang
- Department of Radiation OncologyThe University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
| | - Jonghoon Ha
- Department of Radiation OncologyThe University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
| | | | | | - Inyoul Lee
- Institute for Systems BiologySeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Andre F. Palmer
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Wen Jiang
- Department of Radiation OncologyThe University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUSA
| | - Setty M. Magaña
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of NeurologyNationwide Children's HospitalColumbusOhioUSA
| | - Kai Wang
- Institute for Systems BiologySeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Betty Y. S. Kim
- Department of NeurosurgeryThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
- The Brain Tumor CenterThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - L. James Lee
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
- Spot Biosystems Ltd.Palo AltoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Eduardo Reátegui
- William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
- Comprehensive Cancer CenterThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
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Cauli E, Polidoro MA, Marzorati S, Bernardi C, Rasponi M, Lleo A. Cancer-on-chip: a 3D model for the study of the tumor microenvironment. J Biol Eng 2023; 17:53. [PMID: 37592292 PMCID: PMC10436436 DOI: 10.1186/s13036-023-00372-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The approval of anticancer therapeutic strategies is still slowed down by the lack of models able to faithfully reproduce in vivo cancer physiology. On one hand, the conventional in vitro models fail to recapitulate the organ and tissue structures, the fluid flows, and the mechanical stimuli characterizing the human body compartments. On the other hand, in vivo animal models cannot reproduce the typical human tumor microenvironment, essential to study cancer behavior and progression. This study reviews the cancer-on-chips as one of the most promising tools to model and investigate the tumor microenvironment and metastasis. We also described how cancer-on-chip devices have been developed and implemented to study the most common primary cancers and their metastatic sites. Pros and cons of this technology are then discussed highlighting the future challenges to close the gap between the pre-clinical and clinical studies and accelerate the approval of new anticancer therapies in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Cauli
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico Di Milano, Milan, Italy.
- Accelera Srl, Nerviano, Milan, Italy.
| | - Michela Anna Polidoro
- Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Simona Marzorati
- Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Marco Rasponi
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico Di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Ana Lleo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
- Division of Internal Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Gastroenterology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
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8
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Fan S, Poetsch A. Proteomic Research of Extracellular Vesicles in Clinical Biofluid. Proteomes 2023; 11:proteomes11020018. [PMID: 37218923 DOI: 10.3390/proteomes11020018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs), the lipid bilayer membranous structures of particles, are produced and released from almost all cells, including eukaryotes and prokaryotes. The versatility of EVs has been investigated in various pathologies, including development, coagulation, inflammation, immune response modulation, and cell-cell communication. Proteomics technologies have revolutionized EV studies by enabling high-throughput analysis of their biomolecules to deliver comprehensive identification and quantification with rich structural information (PTMs, proteoforms). Extensive research has highlighted variations in EV cargo depending on vesicle size, origin, disease, and other features. This fact has sparked activities to use EVs for diagnosis and treatment to ultimately achieve clinical translation with recent endeavors summarized and critically reviewed in this publication. Notably, successful application and translation require a constant improvement of methods for sample preparation and analysis and their standardization, both of which are areas of active research. This review summarizes the characteristics, isolation, and identification approaches for EVs and the recent advances in EVs for clinical biofluid analysis to gain novel knowledge by employing proteomics. In addition, the current and predicted future challenges and technical barriers are also reviewed and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shipan Fan
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330021, China
| | - Ansgar Poetsch
- Queen Mary School, Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330021, China
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9
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Chen L, Zhang C, Yadav V, Wong A, Senapati S, Chang HC. A home-made pipette droplet microfluidics rapid prototyping and training kit for digital PCR, microorganism/cell encapsulation and controlled microgel synthesis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:184. [PMID: 36604528 PMCID: PMC9813469 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27470-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics offers a platform from which new digital molecular assay, disease screening, wound healing and material synthesis technologies have been proposed. However, the current commercial droplet generation, assembly and imaging technologies are too expensive and rigid to permit rapid and broad-range tuning of droplet features/cargoes. This rapid prototyping bottleneck has limited further expansion of its application. Herein, an inexpensive home-made pipette droplet microfluidics kit is introduced. This kit includes elliptical pipette tips that can be fabricated with a simple DIY (Do-It-Yourself) tool, a unique tape-based or 3D printed shallow-center imaging chip that allows rapid monolayer droplet assembly/immobilization and imaging with a smart-phone camera or miniature microscope. The droplets are generated by manual or automatic pipetting without expensive and lab-bound microfluidic pumps. The droplet size and fluid viscosity/surface tension can be varied significantly because of our particular droplet generation, assembly and imaging designs. The versatility of this rapid prototyping kit is demonstrated with three representative applications that can benefit from a droplet microfluidic platform: (1) Droplets as microreactors for PCR reaction with reverse transcription to detect and quantify target RNAs. (2) Droplets as microcompartments for spirulina culturing and the optical color/turbidity changes in droplets with spirulina confirm successful photosynthetic culturing. (3) Droplets as templates/molds for controlled synthesis of gold-capped polyacrylamide/gold composite Janus microgels. The easily fabricated and user-friendly portable kit is hence ideally suited for design, training and educational labs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liao Chen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Chenguang Zhang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Vivek Yadav
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Angela Wong
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Satyajyoti Senapati
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Hsueh-Chia Chang
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
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