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Updated: Feb 8, 2026
Development of New Therapeutic Applications Using Microfluidics
Published on: October 1, 2007
A low cost PS based microfluidic platform to investigate cell cycle towards developing a therapeutic strategy for
Irem Ezgi Odabasi1, Elif Gencturk1, Sevde Puza1
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Biosystems Engineering Laboratory, Bogazici University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey.
Abstract:
Inhibition of DNA damage response pathway in combination with DNA alkylating agents may enhance the selective killing of cancer cells leading to better therapeutic effects. MDM2 binding protein (MTBP) in human has a role in G1 phase (interphase of cell cycle) and its overexpression leads to breast and ovarian cancers. Sld7 is an uncharacterized protein in budding yeast and a potential functional homologue of MTBP. To investigate the role of Sld7 as a therapeutic target, the behavior of the wild-type cells and sld7∆ mutants were monitored in 0.5 nL microbioreactors. The brightfield microscopy images were used to analyze the change in the cell size and to determine the durations of G1 and S/G2/M phases of wild type cells and mutants. With the administration of the alkylating agent, the cell size decreased and the duration of cell cycle increased. The replacement of the medium with the fresh one enabled the cells to repair their DNA. The application of calorie restriction together with DNA alkylating agent to mutant cells resulted in smaller cell size and longer G1 phase compared to those in control environment. For therapeutic purposes, the potential of MTBP in humans or Sld7 in yeast as a drug target deserves further exploration. The fabrication simplicity, robustness and low-cost of this microfluidic bioreactor made of polystyrene allowed us to perform yeast culturing experiments and show a potential for further cell culturing studies. The device can successfully be used for therapeutic applications including the discovery of new anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer drugs.
Insights
Inhibiting DNA damage response pathways with alkylating agents may improve cancer therapy. Researchers explored Sld7, a potential drug target similar to human MTBP, using microfluidic bioreactors to study cell cycle effects.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Cancer research
- Microfluidics
Background:
- DNA damage response inhibition combined with alkylating agents shows therapeutic potential.
- MDM2 binding protein (MTBP) is implicated in cell cycle regulation and cancers.
- Sld7, a yeast protein, is a potential functional homologue of MTBP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate Sld7 as a potential therapeutic target.
- To analyze the effects of alkylating agents on cell cycle phases and size.
- To evaluate the utility of microfluidic bioreactors for drug discovery.
Main Methods:
- Monitoring wild-type and sld7∆ yeast cells in 0.5 nL microfluidic bioreactors.
- Analyzing brightfield microscopy images for cell size and cell cycle phase durations (G1, S/G2/M).
- Administering DNA alkylating agents and applying calorie restriction.
Main Results:
- Alkylating agent administration decreased cell size and increased cell cycle duration.
- Fresh medium allowed cells to repair DNA.
- Calorie restriction with alkylating agents in sld7∆ mutants resulted in smaller cell size and prolonged G1 phase.
Conclusions:
- Sld7 (yeast) and MTBP (human) show potential as therapeutic drug targets.
- Microfluidic bioreactors are effective, low-cost tools for yeast culturing and drug discovery.
- The system can aid in discovering novel anti-cancer, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory drugs.
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