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Nebuloni F, Do QB, Cook PR, Walsh EJ, Wade-Martins R. A fluid-walled microfluidic platform for human neuron microcircuits and directed axotomy. LAB ON A CHIP 2024. [PMID: 38841815 DOI: 10.1039/d4lc00107a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
In our brains, different neurons make appropriate connections; however, there remain few in vitro models of such circuits. We use an open microfluidic approach to build and study neuronal circuits in vitro in ways that fit easily into existing bio-medical workflows. Dumbbell-shaped circuits are built in minutes in standard Petri dishes; the aqueous phase is confined by fluid walls - interfaces between cell-growth medium and an immiscible fluorocarbon, FC40. Conditions are established that ensure post-mitotic neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) plated in one chamber of a dumbbell remain where deposited. After seeding cortical neurons on one side, axons grow through the connecting conduit to ramify amongst striatal neurons on the other - an arrangement mimicking unidirectional cortico-striatal connectivity. We also develop a moderate-throughput non-contact axotomy assay. Cortical axons in conduits are severed by a media jet; then, brain-derived neurotrophic factor and striatal neurons in distal chambers promote axon regeneration. As additional conduits and chambers are easily added, this opens up the possibility of mimicking complex neuronal networks, and screening drugs for their effects on connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Nebuloni
- Osney Thermofluids Institute, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0ES, UK.
- The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Quyen B Do
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK.
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Peter R Cook
- The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Edmond J Walsh
- Osney Thermofluids Institute, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0ES, UK.
| | - Richard Wade-Martins
- Oxford Parkinson's Disease Centre and Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK.
- Kavli Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, South Park Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
- Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) Collaborative Research Network, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
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Wu R, Ji P, Hua Y, Li H, Zhang W, Wei Y. Research progress in isolation and identification of rumen probiotics. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1411482. [PMID: 38836057 PMCID: PMC11148321 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1411482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
With the increasing research on the exploitation of rumen microbial resources, rumen probiotics have attracted much attention for their positive contributions in promoting nutrient digestion, inhibiting pathogenic bacteria, and improving production performance. In the past two decades, macrogenomics has provided a rich source of new-generation probiotic candidates, but most of these "dark substances" have not been successfully cultured due to the restrictive growth conditions. However, fueled by high-throughput culture and sorting technologies, it is expected that the potential probiotics in the rumen can be exploited on a large scale, and their potential applications in medicine and agriculture can be explored. In this paper, we review and summarize the classical techniques for isolation and identification of rumen probiotics, introduce the development of droplet-based high-throughput cell culture and single-cell sequencing for microbial culture and identification, and finally introduce promising cultureomics techniques. The aim is to provide technical references for the development of related technologies and microbiological research to promote the further development of the field of rumen microbiology research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peng Ji
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
| | | | | | | | - Yanming Wei
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, China
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Schlotheuber LJ, Lüchtefeld I, Eyer K. Antibodies, repertoires and microdevices in antibody discovery and characterization. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:1207-1225. [PMID: 38165819 PMCID: PMC10898418 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00887h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
Therapeutic antibodies are paramount in treating a wide range of diseases, particularly in auto-immunity, inflammation and cancer, and novel antibody candidates recognizing a vast array of novel antigens are needed to expand the usefulness and applications of these powerful molecules. Microdevices play an essential role in this challenging endeavor at various stages since many general requirements of the overall process overlap nicely with the general advantages of microfluidics. Therefore, microfluidic devices are rapidly taking over various steps in the process of new candidate isolation, such as antibody characterization and discovery workflows. Such technologies can allow for vast improvements in time-lines and incorporate conservative antibody stability and characterization assays, but most prominently screenings and functional characterization within integrated workflows due to high throughput and standardized workflows. First, we aim to provide an overview of the challenges of developing new therapeutic candidates, their repertoires and requirements. Afterward, this review focuses on the discovery of antibodies using microfluidic systems, technological aspects of micro devices and small-scale antibody protein characterization and selection, as well as their integration and implementation into antibody discovery workflows. We close with future developments in microfluidic detection and antibody isolation principles and the field in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Johannes Schlotheuber
- ETH Laboratory for Functional Immune Repertoire Analysis, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, D-CHAB, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Ines Lüchtefeld
- ETH Laboratory for Functional Immune Repertoire Analysis, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, D-CHAB, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
- ETH Laboratory for Tumor and Stem Cell Dynamics, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, D-BIOL, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Klaus Eyer
- ETH Laboratory for Functional Immune Repertoire Analysis, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, D-CHAB, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
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Peroni E, Randi ML, Rosato A, Cagnin S. Acute myeloid leukemia: from NGS, through scRNA-seq, to CAR-T. dissect cancer heterogeneity and tailor the treatment. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2023; 42:259. [PMID: 37803464 PMCID: PMC10557350 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02841-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant blood cancer with marked cellular heterogeneity due to altered maturation and differentiation of myeloid blasts, the possible causes of which are transcriptional or epigenetic alterations, impaired apoptosis, and excessive cell proliferation. This neoplasm has a high rate of resistance to anticancer therapies and thus a high risk of relapse and mortality because of both the biological diversity of the patient and intratumoral heterogeneity due to the acquisition of new somatic changes. For more than 40 years, the old gold standard "one size fits all" treatment approach included intensive chemotherapy treatment with anthracyclines and cytarabine.The manuscript first traces the evolution of the understanding of the pathology from the 1970s to the present. The enormous strides made in its categorization prove to be crucial for risk stratification, enabling an increasingly personalized diagnosis and treatment approach.Subsequently, we highlight how, over the past 15 years, technological advances enabling single cell RNA sequencing and T-cell modification based on the genomic tools are affecting the classification and treatment of AML. At the dawn of the new millennium, the advent of high-throughput next-generation sequencing technologies has enabled the profiling of patients evidencing different facets of the same disease, stratifying risk, and identifying new possible therapeutic targets that have subsequently been validated. Currently, the possibility of investigating tumor heterogeneity at the single cell level, profiling the tumor at the time of diagnosis or after treatments exist. This would allow the identification of underrepresented cellular subclones or clones resistant to therapeutic approaches and thus responsible for post-treatment relapse that would otherwise be difficult to detect with bulk investigations on the tumor biopsy. Single-cell investigation will then allow even greater personalization of therapy to the genetic and transcriptional profile of the tumor, saving valuable time and dangerous side effects. The era of personalized medicine will take a huge step forward through the disclosure of each individual piece of the complex puzzle that is cancer pathology, to implement a "tailored" therapeutic approach based also on engineered CAR-T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edoardo Peroni
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology, IOV-IRCCS, Padova, 35128, Italy.
| | - Maria Luigia Randi
- First Medical Clinic, Department of Medicine-DIMED, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Antonio Rosato
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology, IOV-IRCCS, Padova, 35128, Italy
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Stefano Cagnin
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, 35131, Italy
- CIR-Myo Myology Center, University of Padova, Padova, 35131, Italy
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Han X, Xu X, Yang C, Liu G. Microfluidic design in single-cell sequencing and application to cancer precision medicine. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2023; 3:100591. [PMID: 37725985 PMCID: PMC10545941 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2023.100591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Single-cell sequencing (SCS) is a crucial tool to reveal the genetic and functional heterogeneity of tumors, providing unique insights into the clonal evolution, microenvironment, drug resistance, and metastatic progression of cancers. Microfluidics is a critical component of many SCS technologies and workflows, conferring advantages in throughput, economy, and automation. Here, we review the current landscape of microfluidic architectures and sequencing techniques for single-cell omics analysis and highlight how these have enabled recent applications in oncology research. We also discuss the challenges and the promise of microfluidics-based single-cell analysis in the future of precision oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Han
- CUHK(SZ)-Boyalife Joint Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Programme, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China; Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China
| | - Xing Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, P.R. China; Institute of Molecular Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related 12 Genes, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Chaoyang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, MOE Key Laboratory of Spectrochemical Analysis & Instrumentation, Key Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian Province, Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province, Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, P.R. China; Institute of Molecular Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Oncogenes and Related 12 Genes, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P.R. China.
| | - Guozhen Liu
- CUHK(SZ)-Boyalife Joint Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Programme, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China; Ciechanover Institute of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518172, China.
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Ferguson C, Zhang Y, Palego C, Cheng X. Recent Approaches to Design and Analysis of Electrical Impedance Systems for Single Cells Using Machine Learning. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:5990. [PMID: 37447838 DOI: 10.3390/s23135990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Individual cells have many unique properties that can be quantified to develop a holistic understanding of a population. This can include understanding population characteristics, identifying subpopulations, or elucidating outlier characteristics that may be indicators of disease. Electrical impedance measurements are rapid and label-free for the monitoring of single cells and generate large datasets of many cells at single or multiple frequencies. To increase the accuracy and sensitivity of measurements and define the relationships between impedance and biological features, many electrical measurement systems have incorporated machine learning (ML) paradigms for control and analysis. Considering the difficulty capturing complex relationships using traditional modelling and statistical methods due to population heterogeneity, ML offers an exciting approach to the systemic collection and analysis of electrical properties in a data-driven way. In this work, we discuss incorporation of ML to improve the field of electrical single cell analysis by addressing the design challenges to manipulate single cells and sophisticated analysis of electrical properties that distinguish cellular changes. Looking forward, we emphasize the opportunity to build on integrated systems to address common challenges in data quality and generalizability to save time and resources at every step in electrical measurement of single cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Ferguson
- Department of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| | - Cristiano Palego
- Department of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2DG, UK
| | - Xuanhong Cheng
- Department of Bioengineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
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Ralph DK, Matsen FA. Inference of B cell clonal families using heavy/light chain pairing information. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1010723. [PMID: 36441808 PMCID: PMC9731466 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Next generation sequencing of B cell receptor (BCR) repertoires has become a ubiquitous tool for understanding the antibody-mediated immune response: it is now common to have large volumes of sequence data coding for both the heavy and light chain subunits of the BCR. However, until the recent development of high throughput methods of preserving heavy/light chain pairing information, these samples contained no explicit information on which heavy chain sequence pairs with which light chain sequence. One of the first steps in analyzing such BCR repertoire samples is grouping sequences into clonally related families, where each stems from a single rearrangement event. Many methods of accomplishing this have been developed, however, none so far has taken full advantage of the newly-available pairing information. This information can dramatically improve clustering performance, especially for the light chain. The light chain has traditionally been challenging for clonal family inference because of its low diversity and consequent abundance of non-clonal families with indistinguishable naive rearrangements. Here we present a method of incorporating this pairing information into the clustering process in order to arrive at a more accurate partition of the data into clonally related families. We also demonstrate two methods of fixing imperfect pairing information, which may allow for simplified sample preparation and increased sequencing depth. Finally, we describe several other improvements to the partis software package.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan K. Ralph
- Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Frederick A. Matsen
- Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Department of Statistics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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Tiemeijer BM, Descamps L, Hulleman J, Sleeboom JJF, Tel J. A Microfluidic Approach for Probing Heterogeneity in Cytotoxic T-Cells by Cell Pairing in Hydrogel Droplets. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:1910. [PMID: 36363930 PMCID: PMC9692327 DOI: 10.3390/mi13111910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Cytotoxic T-cells (CTLs) exhibit strong effector functions to leverage antigen-specific anti-tumoral and anti-viral immunity. When naïve CTLs are activated by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) they display various levels of functional heterogeneity. To investigate this, we developed a single-cell droplet microfluidics platform that allows for deciphering single CTL activation profiles by multi-parameter analysis. We identified and correlated functional heterogeneity based on secretion profiles of IFNγ, TNFα, IL-2, and CD69 and CD25 surface marker expression levels. Furthermore, we strengthened our approach by incorporating low-melting agarose to encapsulate pairs of single CTLs and artificial APCs in hydrogel droplets, thereby preserving spatial information over cell pairs. This approach provides a robust tool for high-throughput and single-cell analysis of CTLs compatible with flow cytometry for subsequent analysis and sorting. The ability to score CTL quality, combined with various potential downstream analyses, could pave the way for the selection of potent CTLs for cell-based therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart M. Tiemeijer
- Laboratory of Immunoengineering, Department Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Lucie Descamps
- Laboratory of Immunoengineering, Department Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Jesse Hulleman
- Laboratory of Immunoengineering, Department Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Jelle J. F. Sleeboom
- Microsystems, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Jurjen Tel
- Laboratory of Immunoengineering, Department Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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Ni C, Zhou Z, Zhu Z, Jiang D, Xiang N. Controllable Size-Independent Three-Dimensional Inertial Focusing in High-Aspect-Ratio Asymmetric Serpentine Microchannels. Anal Chem 2022; 94:15639-15647. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c02361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chen Ni
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing211189, China
| | - Zheng Zhou
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing211189, China
| | - Zhixian Zhu
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing211189, China
| | - Di Jiang
- College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing210037, China
- Jiangsu Yuyue Medical Equipment and Supply Co., Ltd., Jiangsu, Danyang212300, China
| | - Nan Xiang
- School of Mechanical Engineering and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Design and Manufacture of Micro-Nano Biomedical Instruments, Southeast University, Nanjing211189, China
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