Well plate-coupled microfluidic devices designed for facile image-based cell adhesion and transmigration assays

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Cell Biology
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Microfluidic devices are increasingly used for modeling biological processes.
• Conventional well plate assays lack physiological relevance and workflow efficiency for certain cell-based studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a well plate microfluidic (WPM) device for cell biology assays under shear flow.
• To demonstrate the WPM device's utility in studying cell adhesion and transmigration with improved biological significance and workflow.

Main Methods:

• Development of a well plate microfluidic (WPM) device.
• Utilizing the VLA-4-VCAM-1 cell adhesion model for antibody screening.
• Assessing mononuclear cell transmigration through endothelial cell monolayers.

Main Results:

• The WPM device provides higher biological significance compared to conventional well plates by mimicking physiological shear flow.
• Faster liquid handling and assay performance were observed with the WPM device.
• Rapid, high-throughput adhesion inhibition screening of monoclonal antibodies against VLA-4 was achieved, generating IC(50) dose-response curves 96 times faster than conventional flow cells.
• Twenty-four channels of mononuclear cell transmigration data were generated in a single experiment.

Conclusions:

• The WPM device offers a powerful platform for cell biology assays, improving biological relevance and workflow efficiency.
• This microfluidic approach facilitates rapid, high-throughput screening and detailed study of cellular processes like adhesion and transmigration.