Article
Oncology
Amanda M. Clark, Nancy L. Allbritton, Alan Wells
Summary: The liver is the most commonly involved organ in metastases from various solid tumors, and studying tumor cell behavior in the liver microenvironment has provided unexpected insights into the biology of metastasis. Microphysiological systems linking different organs can help examine the influence of one organ on the function of other tissues, including how the liver environment affects tumor behavior.
SEMINARS IN CANCER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Samuel S. Hinman, Yuli Wang, Raehyun Kim, Nancy L. Allbritton
Summary: This protocol describes the fabrication of 3D collagen scaffolds used to culture human colonic crypts derived from primary intestinal epithelial cells. The methods include microfabrication and soft lithography protocols necessary to shape hydrogels to match in vivo crypt dimensions. The platform supports the formation of chemical gradients across the crypts, including growth and differentiation factors, inflammatory compounds, bile and food metabolites and bacterial products.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Samuel S. Hinman, Jennifer Huling, Yuli Wang, Hao Wang, Ross C. Bretherton, Cole A. deForest, Nancy L. Allbritton
Summary: The study utilized magnetic agarose hydrogels to mimic the propulsion of solid fecal contents over colonic epithelium, without adversely affecting cell monolayer surface coverage, viability, or transepithelial electrical resistance, but impacting protein secretion and cell morphology.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Cody A. LaBelle, Angelo Massaro, Belen Cortes-Llanos, Christopher E. Sims, Nancy L. Allbritton
Summary: Single-cell analysis and sorting have revolutionized biomedical research and clinical medicine, allowing for a deeper exploration of cell physiology and behavior. These technologies provide powerful tools for genetic engineering, regenerative medicine, and cancer immunotherapies by enabling more precise cell selection criteria and the creation of cell lines with unique properties.
TRENDS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Luke A. Gallion, Yuli Wang, Angelo Massaro, Ming Yao, Brae Petersen, Quanzheng Zhang, Weigang Huang, Adam J. Carr, Qisheng Zhang, Nancy L. Allbritton
Summary: Capillary electrophoresis with fluorescence detection (CE-F) is a powerful method for measuring enzyme activation in single cells. However, the reporter substrates used in cellular enzymatic assays for CE-F may affect enzyme kinetics. To address this issue, a fix and click method was developed to attach a fluorophore to an enzyme activation reporter prior to analysis by CE-F, allowing for the investigation of sphingolipid signaling in single cells.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Cecilia Villegas-Novoa, Yuli Wang, Christopher E. Sims, Nancy L. Allbritton
Summary: This paper describes an optimized analytical assay pipeline for screening compounds to modulate L-cell signaling. The pipeline utilizes a human intestinal tissue construct enriched in L-cells and standard antibody-based GLP-1 assays to quantify GLP-1 secretion. Additionally, by adding specific compounds and altering the culture conditions, the number of L-cells is increased to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of conventional enzyme-linked immunoassays.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yuli Wang, Christopher E. Sims, Nancy L. Allbritton
Summary: This study developed a 2D crypt model based on intestinal stem cells for effective screening of drug compounds on the intestinal epithelium. The model accurately mimics the physiological characteristics of intestinal tissue and allows for quantitative assessment of various cellular parameters using immunofluorescence-based assay. It can be used for compound screening.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Cody A. LaBelle, Raymond J. Zhang, Sally A. Hunsucker, Paul M. Armistead, Nancy L. Allbritton
Summary: Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell immunotherapies have achieved success in treating hematological malignancies, but their efficacy can vary significantly. This study presents an automated microraft array platform that tracks and measures the killing behavior and motility of CAR-T cells, and allows for the collection of single cells for further characterization. The results demonstrate the heterogeneity in killing behavior among CAR-T cells in a cell population.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Samuel S. Hinman, Angelo Massaro, Yuli Wang, Christopher E. Sims, Raehyun Kim, Nancy L. Allbritton
Summary: This study describes a method to create an in vitro model of human colon physiology with a collagen hydrogel scaffold, allowing co-culture of primary gastrointestinal epithelium and immune cells. The model demonstrates that it possesses a functional primary colonic epithelial layer with a recruitable immune cell compartment in response to pro-inflammatory cues.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yuli Wang, Ming Yao, Christopher E. Sims, Nancy L. Allbritton
Summary: A picoliter thin-layer chromatography (pTLC) platform has been developed for analyzing extremely miniature specimens, such as the contents of a single cell. The platform can effectively separate fluorescent compounds and has adjustable pore size, making it highly versatile for various applications.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Matthew DiSalvo, Belen Cortes-Llanos, Cody LaBelle, David Murdoch, Nancy Allbritton
Summary: This work introduces a tool-free technique for batch construction of composite microstructures. The method allows control over the volumes and positions of deposited materials within the microstructures. It has the potential to enable the fabrication of complex composite microelements for various applications.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yuli Wang, Christopher E. Sims, Nancy L. Allbritton
Summary: A planar, self-renewing human intestinal monolayer platform was developed to screen the effects of compounds on the intestinal epithelium. Using an immunofluorescence-based assay, the model can assess cell characteristics and identify compounds that significantly impact cell proliferation and differentiation.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Biochemical Research Methods
Belen Cortes-Llanos, Yuli Wang, Christopher E. Sims, Nancy L. Allbritton
Summary: Microraft arrays are a versatile platform designed for the analysis and isolation of biological entities, offering a wide range of applications such as single-cell RNA sequencing, high-throughput screening, and development of CRISPR gene-edited cell lines. The technology is elegant in its simplicity and allows for flexible selection criteria not possible with conventional sorting methods, garnering significant interest in the biological and pharmaceutical sciences.