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Droplet Microfluidics for Current Cancer Research: From Single-Cell Analysis to 3D Cell Culture
Lin Jiang1, Kefan Guo1, Yao Chen1
1School of Mechanical Engineering, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China.
Abstract:
Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Differences in drug resistance and treatment response caused by the heterogeneity of cancer cells are the primary reasons for poor cancer therapy outcomes in patients. In addition, current in vitro anticancer drug-screening methods rely on two-dimensional monolayer-cultured cancer cells, which cannot accurately predict drug behavior in vivo. Therefore, a powerful tool to study the heterogeneity of cancer cells and produce effective in vitro tumor models is warranted to leverage cancer research. Droplet microfluidics has become a powerful platform for the single-cell analysis of cancer cells and three-dimensional cell culture of in vitro tumor spheroids. In this review, we discuss the use of droplet microfluidics in cancer research. Droplet microfluidic technologies, including single- or double-emulsion droplet generation and passive- or active-droplet manipulation, are concisely discussed. Recent advances in droplet microfluidics for single-cell analysis of cancer cells, circulating tumor cells, and scaffold-free/based 3D cell culture of tumor spheroids have been systematically introduced. Finally, the challenges that must be overcome for the further application of droplet microfluidics in cancer research are discussed.
Insights
Droplet microfluidics offers advanced tools for cancer research by enabling single-cell analysis and 3D tumor models. This technology addresses limitations in current cancer drug screening and helps overcome treatment resistance.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biotechnology
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Cancer heterogeneity drives drug resistance and poor treatment outcomes.
- Current in vitro drug screening using 2D cell cultures fails to predict in vivo drug efficacy.
- A need exists for better in vitro models to study cancer cell heterogeneity and improve drug screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the applications of droplet microfluidics in cancer research.
- To highlight droplet microfluidics' role in single-cell analysis and 3D tumor spheroid culture.
- To discuss challenges and future directions for droplet microfluidics in oncology.
Main Methods:
- Discussion of droplet microfluidic technologies, including emulsion generation and droplet manipulation.
- Systematic review of recent advances in single-cell analysis of cancer cells and circulating tumor cells.
- Overview of droplet microfluidics for scaffold-free and scaffold-based 3D tumor spheroid culture.
Main Results:
- Droplet microfluidics enables high-throughput single-cell analysis of cancer cells.
- This technology facilitates the creation of more accurate 3D in vitro tumor models.
- Advances include applications in analyzing circulating tumor cells and developing novel 3D cultures.
Conclusions:
- Droplet microfluidics is a powerful platform for advancing cancer research.
- It improves the study of cancer cell heterogeneity and the development of in vitro tumor models.
- Further development is needed to overcome current challenges for broader clinical application.
