Cell invasion in digital microfluidic microgel systems.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Genomics

Background:

• Studying cell invasion is crucial for understanding diseases like cancer and normal physiological processes.
• Existing microfluidic methods for cell invasion either allow easy cell retrieval for analysis or maintain critical cell-extracellular matrix interactions, but not both.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel microfluidic technique that combines the advantages of existing methods.
• To enable the stratification of cells based on their invasiveness into hydrogels for subsequent molecular analysis, such as RNA sequencing.

Main Methods:

• Introduction of "cell invasion in digital microfluidic microgel systems" (CIMMS).
• Utilizing microfluidic devices with microgels to mimic the extracellular matrix.
• Stratifying cells based on their invasion capabilities within the microgel environment.

Main Results:

• Successfully applied CIMMS to a breast cancer model.
• Identified 244 differentially expressed genes between invading and noninvading cells.
• Discovered gene expression patterns related to extracellular matrix remodeling, chemokine/cytokine signaling, and G protein pathways.

Conclusions:

• CIMMS effectively bridges the gap between existing cell invasion analysis techniques.
• The method allows for detailed molecular profiling of cells based on invasion.
• CIMMS is a valuable tool for investigating metastasis and fundamental biological processes involving cell invasion.