Slicing Spheroids in Microfluidic Devices for Morphological and Immunohistochemical Analysis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Microfluidic devices with spheroids are crucial for simulating the in vivo tumor microenvironment.
• Analyzing spheroid inner structures requires sectioning, which is challenging with conventional microfluidic devices.
• Current methods limit detailed analysis of spheroids within microfluidic channels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel microfluidic device enabling efficient sectioning of spheroids.
• To facilitate detailed morphological and biochemical analysis of spheroid structures.
• To overcome limitations of conventional microfluidic devices in spheroid sectioning.

Main Methods:

• A new microfluidic device was fabricated using embedding resin.
• Spheroids were cultured and subsequently embedded within the microfluidic device using resin.
• The embedded spheroids were then sectioned directly within the device.

Main Results:

• The developed device successfully enabled sectioning of spheroids.
• Slices provided clear, cellular-level images for analysis.
• Morphological and immunohistochemical analyses revealed specific protein distributions within the sectioned spheroids.

Conclusions:

• The resin-embedded microfluidic device is an effective tool for spheroid sectioning.
• This method allows for high-resolution imaging and analysis of spheroid composition.
• The technique advances in vitro tumor microenvironment research by enabling detailed structural and biochemical studies.