Elucidating tumor cell interactions with Cy5 in microfluidic tumor models using fluorescence microscopy

Alexander Pueschel*, Kasey Freshwater, and Margaret Bennewitz
Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Presentation No.: 64

Assigned Category (Presentation Format): Engineering (Poster Presentations)

Student’s Major: Biomedical Engineering

Microfluidic tumor models (MTMs) are vital in vitro tools for efficacy and biocompatibility testing of novel therapeutics and imaging agents. Traditional techniques like 2D static monolayer cultures often fail to recapitulate the tumor microenvironment leading to less informed animal studies. High reproducibility and accurate recapitulation of dynamic in vivo environments allow MTMs to improve traditional testing processes prior to animal model use. This study utilizes idealized co-culture MTMs with a central tumor compartment consisting of porous interfaces connecting to a surrounding microvascular network. Tumor cells, stained with green cell-tracer and cultured within the central chamber, were perfused with Cy5 dye at 1.0μL/min for 1hr to evaluate tumor cell extravasation and uptake. The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) per cell was determined via confocal fluorescence microscopy. Work moving forward will encompass tumor cells co-cultured with primary human endothelial cells under physiological flow to establish a complete, physiologically analogous endothelial lumen. Incorporating MTMs as standard scientific models in the field of diagnostics and therapeutics will better inform follow-up animal studies expediting the process and reducing overall costs.

Funding: Task 89

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's SURE program (Rita Rio & Michelle Richards-Babb)