Jetting microfluidics with size-sorting capability for single-cell protease detection.

Biosens Bioelectron

Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore; Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Centre, Singapore 1385602, Singapore; Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE), Singapore 117456, Singapore. Electronic address:

Published: April 2015

Activated proteases such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) secreted from cancer cells can degrade the extracellular matrix (ECM) and contribute to tumour formation and metastasis. Measuring MMP activity in individual cancer cells can provide important insights on cancer cell heterogeneity and disease progression. Here, we present a microfluidic platform combining a droplet jetting generator and a deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) size-sorting channel that is capable of encapsulating individual cancer cells inside picoliter droplets effectively. Droplet jetting with cell-triggered Rayleigh-Plateau instability was employed which produced large droplets capable of cell encapsulation (diameter, ~25µm) and small empty droplets (diameter, ~14µm), which were then size-separated using a DLD size-sorting channel to enrich the single-cell encapsulated droplets (~78%), regardless of the cell density of input sample solutions. The droplets containing encapsulated cancer cells were collected in an observation chamber to determine the kinetic profiles of MMP secretion and the inhibitory response in the presence of the drug doxycycline at the single-cell level to reveal their heterogeneous MMPs secretion activities.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2014.11.001DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

cancer cells
16
individual cancer
8
droplet jetting
8
dld size-sorting
8
size-sorting channel
8
cancer
5
droplets
5
jetting microfluidics
4
microfluidics size-sorting
4
size-sorting capability
4

Similar Publications

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant tumor that originates from the epithelial cells of the colon and rectum. Global epidemiological data shows that in 2020, the incidence and mortality rate of CRC ranked third and second, respectively, posing a serious threat to people's health and lives. The factors influencing CRC are numerous and can be broadly categorized as modifiable and non-modifiable based on whether they can be managed or intervened upon.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Induction of M1 polarization in BV2 cells by propofol intervention promotes perioperative neurocognitive disorders through the NGF/CREB signaling pathway: an experimental research.

Int J Surg

January 2025

Department of Anesthesiology, Jiangxi Cancer Hospital & Institute, Jiangxi Clinical Research Center for Cancer, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang Medical College, Jiangxi Key Laboratory of Oncology, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is critical in regulating the homeostasis of microglial cells. It activates various signaling pathways that mediate the phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) at key regulatory sites. The decrease in phosphorylated CREB (p-CREB) expression is linked to neuroinflammatory responses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal diseases. Although several chemotherapy regimens have been developed over the past decades, few targeted therapies have shown a significant improvement in overall survival, partly due to the identification of PDAC as a single disease.

Methods: Combining metabolomic analysis and immunohistochemistry staining with Oil Red O staining, analysis for the oxygen consumption rate and extracellular acidification rate, we stratified pancreatic cancer cells into two subtypes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In gastric cancer, the relationship between human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of the interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway, and autophagy remains unclear. This study examines whether HER2 regulates autophagy in gastric cancer cells via the cGAS-STING signaling pathway, influencing key processes such as cell proliferation and migration. Understanding this relationship could uncover new molecular targets for diagnosis and treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Receptor CUB-domain containing- protein 1 (CDCP1) was evaluated as a target for detection and treatment of breast cancer.

Experimental Design: CDCP1 expression was assessed immunohistochemically in tumors from 423 patients (119 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC); 75 HER2+; 229 ER+/HER2- including 228 primary tumors, 229 lymph node and 47 distant metastases). Cell cytotoxicity induced in vitro by a CDCP1-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), consisting of the human/mouse chimeric antibody ch10D7 and the microtubule disruptor monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), was quantified, including in combination with HER2-targeting ADC T-DM1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!