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Maintenance of head and neck tumor on-chip: gateway to personalized treatment?
Ruth Bower1,1, Victoria L Green1,1, Elena Kuvshinova2,2
1School of Life Sciences, The University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK.
Aim:
Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are solid tumors with low overall survival (40-60%). In a move toward personalized medicine, maintenance of tumor biopsies in microfluidic tissue culture devices is being developed.
Methodology/Results:
HNSCC (n = 15) was dissected (5-10 mg) and either analyzed immediately or cultured in a microfluidic device (37°C) for 48 h. No difference was observed in morphology between pre- and postculture specimens. Dissociated samples were analyzed using trypan blue exclusion (viability), propidium iodide flow cytometry (death) and MTS assay (proliferation) with no significant difference observed highlighting tissue maintenance. Computational fluid dynamics showed laminar flow within the system.
Conclusion:
The microfluidic culture system successfully maintained HNSCC for 48 h, the culture system will allow testing of different treatment modalities with response monitoring.
Insights
This study shows that microfluidic culture systems can maintain head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tissue for 48 hours. This breakthrough supports personalized medicine by enabling treatment response monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biotechnology
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) have a poor prognosis, with survival rates between 40-60%.
- Personalized medicine approaches require reliable methods for maintaining tumor tissue ex vivo.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of a microfluidic tissue culture system for maintaining HNSCC biopsies.
- To assess the viability, proliferation, and morphology of HNSCC post-culture.
Main Methods:
- HNSCC samples (n=15) were dissected and either analyzed immediately or cultured in a microfluidic device at 37°C for 48 hours.
- Morphological integrity was assessed, and cell viability, death, and proliferation were measured using trypan blue exclusion, propidium iodide flow cytometry, and MTS assay, respectively.
- Computational fluid dynamics were used to analyze flow patterns within the microfluidic system.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in morphology were observed between pre- and post-culture HNSCC specimens.
- Viability, death, and proliferation assays showed no significant changes, indicating successful tissue maintenance.
- Computational fluid dynamics confirmed laminar flow conditions within the microfluidic device.
Conclusions:
- The microfluidic culture system effectively maintains HNSCC tissue for up to 48 hours.
- This system provides a viable platform for testing various treatment strategies and monitoring patient-specific responses.
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