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Device To Study the Cell Invasion Behavior and Phenotypic Profile at Single Cell Level.
Ren Li1,2,3, Yan Ma1, Minzhi Zhao1
1CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China , Beijing 100190, China.
Analytical Chemistry
|January 6, 2018
Summary
A new microfluidic chip enables precise, single-cell analysis of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion. This technology quantifies cell heterogeneity and screens anti-invasion drugs, advancing metastasis research.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cell Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Investigating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor cell invasion is crucial for understanding cancer metastasis.
- Existing methods struggle to quantitatively profile cell invasion at the single-cell level, limiting the study of EMT heterogeneity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a microfluidic chip for simultaneous analysis of single-cell invasion, phenotypic diversity, and drug response.
- To quantitatively assess cell invasion and heterogeneity during EMT at the single-cell level.
- To evaluate the chip's utility in screening anti-invasion drugs.
Main Methods:
- Development of a microfluidic chip enabling isolated single-cell analysis.
- Simultaneous quantitation of cell invasion and in situ phenotyping.
- Assessment of cell invasion with and without EMT-modulating agents.
Main Results:
- The chip successfully quantifies single-cell invasion behavior and phenotypic diversity, revealing cell heterogeneity during EMT.
- The existence and importance of a hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal cell phenotype in EMT were confirmed.
- The chip demonstrated effectiveness in assessing anti-metastatic agents against two cell lines.
Conclusions:
- Isolating single cells is a validated strategy for studying invasive properties and understanding EMT heterogeneity.
- The microfluidic chip provides a novel in vitro method for studying cell invasion and screening anti-invasion drugs.
- This approach is vital for understanding blood-borne metastasis and developing targeted therapies.
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