1
|
Chermat R, Refet-Mollof E, Kamio Y, Carrier JF, Wong P, Gervais T. Brachytherapy on-a-chip: a clinically-relevant approach for radiotherapy testing in 3d biology. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:2335-2346. [PMID: 38568477 DOI: 10.1039/d4lc00032c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
We describe the first microfluidic device for in vitro testing of brachytherapy (BT), with applications in translational cancer research. Our PDMS-made BT-on-chip system allows highly precise manual insertion of clinical BT seeds, reliable dose calculation using standard clinically-used TG-43 formalism and easy culture of naturally hypoxic spheroids in less than 3 days, thereby increasing the translational potential of the device. As the BT-on-chip platform is designed to be versatile, we showcase three different gold-standard post-irradiation bioassays and recapitulate, for the first time on-chip, key clinical observations such as dose rate effect and hypoxia-induced radioresistance. Our results suggest that BT-on-chip can be used to safely and efficiently integrate BT and radiotherapy to translational research and drug development pipelines, without expensive equipment or complex workflows.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rodin Chermat
- μFO Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montréal, Canada
- Institut du Cancer de Montréal (ICM), Montréal, Canada
| | - Elena Refet-Mollof
- μFO Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montréal, Canada
- Institut du Cancer de Montréal (ICM), Montréal, Canada
| | - Yuji Kamio
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montréal, Canada
- Département de radio-oncologie, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Canada
| | - Jean-François Carrier
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montréal, Canada
- Institut du Cancer de Montréal (ICM), Montréal, Canada
- Département de radio-oncologie, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Canada
- Département de Physique, Université de Montréal, Canada
| | - Philip Wong
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montréal, Canada
- Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - Thomas Gervais
- μFO Lab, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montréal, Canada
- Institut du Cancer de Montréal (ICM), Montréal, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bouges E, Segers C, Leys N, Lebeer S, Zhang J, Mastroleo F. Human Intestinal Organoids and Microphysiological Systems for Modeling Radiotoxicity and Assessing Radioprotective Agents. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5859. [PMID: 38136404 PMCID: PMC10741417 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15245859] [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: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Radiotherapy is a commonly employed treatment for colorectal cancer, yet its radiotoxicity-related impact on healthy tissues raises significant health concerns. This highlights the need to use radioprotective agents to mitigate these side effects. This review presents the current landscape of human translational radiobiology, outlining the limitations of existing models and proposing engineering solutions. We delve into radiotherapy principles, encompassing mechanisms of radiation-induced cell death and its influence on normal and cancerous colorectal cells. Furthermore, we explore the engineering aspects of microphysiological systems to represent radiotherapy-induced gastrointestinal toxicity and how to include the gut microbiota to study its role in treatment failure and success. This review ultimately highlights the main challenges and future pathways in translational research for pelvic radiotherapy-induced toxicity. This is achieved by developing a humanized in vitro model that mimics radiotherapy treatment conditions. An in vitro model should provide in-depth analyses of host-gut microbiota interactions and a deeper understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms of radioprotective food supplements. Additionally, it would be of great value if these models could produce high-throughput data using patient-derived samples to address the lack of human representability to complete clinical trials and improve patients' quality of life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eloïse Bouges
- RadioPharma Research, Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium; (E.B.); (C.S.); (N.L.)
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium;
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Charlotte Segers
- RadioPharma Research, Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium; (E.B.); (C.S.); (N.L.)
| | - Natalie Leys
- RadioPharma Research, Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium; (E.B.); (C.S.); (N.L.)
| | - Sarah Lebeer
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium;
| | - Jianbo Zhang
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
- Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research, Amsterdam Gastroenterology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, 1105 BK Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Felice Mastroleo
- RadioPharma Research, Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium; (E.B.); (C.S.); (N.L.)
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lafontaine J, Refet-Mollof E, Najyb O, Gervais T, Wong P. Cell Death Analysis in Cancer Spheroids from a Microfluidic Device. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2543:13-25. [PMID: 36087255 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2553-8_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic technology facilitates the generation of 3D spheroids from cancer cells, a more suitable model for preclinical therapeutic studies. This system opens the possibility to test many drugs combination at a low cost. Here we describe the use of microfluidic devices for cytotoxicity evaluation on cancer spheroids for the discovery of drugs that could be used in combination with radiotherapy. Device fabrication, preparation, and seeding are also covered. Cell death arising following treatment is detected and characterized according to spheroid size, colony formation assays, and flow cytometry analysis of apoptotic marker annexin V.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julie Lafontaine
- Institut du Cancer de Montréal (ICM), Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Elena Refet-Mollof
- Institut du Cancer de Montréal (ICM), Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de MontrÉal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Ouafa Najyb
- Institut du Cancer de Montréal (ICM), Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Thomas Gervais
- Institut du Cancer de Montréal (ICM), Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, École Polytechnique de MontrÉal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Engineering Physics, École Polytechnique de MontrÉal, Montréal, Canada
| | - Philip Wong
- Institut du Cancer de Montréal (ICM), Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Département de Radio-Oncologie, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada.
- Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|