Article
Biophysics
Jiaju Shi, Chunqin Zhao, Meiqi Shen, Zichao Chen, Jinhua Liu, Shusheng Zhang, Zhen Zhang
Summary: This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of label-free and label-based methods commonly used in the isolation of CTCs, and systematically reviews the most recent advances in the combination of microfluidic chips and biosensing for the enrichment of circulating tumor cells, proposing the current barriers and developmental trends in CTCs research.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Valber A. Pedrosa, Kangfu Chen, Thomas J. George, Z. Hugh Fan
Summary: Liquid biopsy has been developed for diagnosing and monitoring cancer. However, there is still room for improvement in capturing circulating tumor cells (CTCs). In this study, we integrated gold nanoparticles with a microfluidic platform to develop an efficient CTC detection system, which achieved CTC capture within 120 min. Our method was optimized and demonstrated high efficiency (90% ± 3.2%) in capturing CTCs from pancreatic tumor cell lines and patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ayoub Glia, Muhammedin Deliorman, Pavithra Sukumar, Farhad K. Janahi, Bisan Samara, Ayoola T. Brimmo, Mohammad A. Qasaimeh
Summary: In this work, a novel herringbone microfluidic probe (HB-MFP) was developed for efficient capture of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) expressing specific antigens. The HB-MFP enables high throughput sample processing and offers potential for cancer diagnosis and treatment through multiplexed profiling of CTCs.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Jose Montoya Mira, Ajay A. Sapre, Brett S. Walker, Jesus Bueno Alvarez, Kyle T. Gustafson, Eugene Tu, Jared M. Fischer, Melissa H. Wong, Sadik Esener, Yu-Jui Chiu
Summary: Researchers have developed a label-free dielectrophoretic microfluidic platform for the enrichment of circulating hybrid cells (CHCs), showing promising potential for isolating tumor cells non-invasively from patient blood samples within one hour. They have optimized the device using in vitro models and successfully applied it to clinically relevant mutation analyses in 75% of the samples tested.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Hyeon-Yeol Cho, Jin-Ha Choi, Joungpyo Lim, Sang-Nam Lee, Jeong-Woo Choi
Summary: The review highlights the significance of metastasis as the main cause of cancer-related death and discusses recent advances in the detection and analysis of circulating tumor cells and circulating cancer stem cells. The focus is on the design of microfluidic devices with optical sensing tools and strategies for analyzing the differentiation of circulating cancer stem cells.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Yanmin Wang, Wanlei Gao, Man Wu, Xiaofen Zhang, Wei Liu, Yang Zhou, Chunping Jia, Hui Cong, Xiang Chen, Jianlong Zhao
Summary: A multifunctional microfluidic chip was developed for the capture, lysis and nucleic acid detection of CTCs, successfully detecting gene mutations in lung cancer cells.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tiberiu A. Burinaru, Bianca Adiaconita, Marioara Avram, Pretruta Preda, Ana-Maria Enciu, Eugen Chiriac, Catalin Marculescu, Tiberiu Constantin, Manuella Militaru
Summary: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be detected using non-invasive liquid biopsy techniques and are useful for early diagnosis, cancer treatment management, precision medicine, and understanding metastasis. In this article, a label-free detection method based on a microfluidic device and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy biosensor is proposed. The device showed high sensitivity in detecting CTCs in breast cancer cells and blood samples from canines with mammary carcinomas.
MATERIALS TODAY COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Chenguang Wang, Yi Xu, Shuainan Li, Yi Zhou, Qiuling Qian, Yifan Liu, Xianqiang Mi
Summary: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are biomarkers widely used for the early detection, diagnosis, and therapy monitoring of cancer. However, due to their rarity in peripheral blood, isolating and analyzing CTCs with high efficiency, purity, and viability has been a significant technological challenge. In this study, the researchers developed a microfluidic system combining tetrahedral DNA framework, herringbone channel chip, and aptamer-triggered hybridization chain reaction for efficient capture and release of simulated CTCs.
MATERIALS TODAY BIO
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Mengyuan Wang, Yulong Tan, Du Li, Gangwei Xu, Di Yin, Yunchao Xiao, Tiegang Xu, Xiaofeng Chen, Xiaoyue Zhu, Xiangyang Shi
Summary: The study developed a negative sorting method for the isolation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) through a microfluidic platform integrated with streptavidin-functionalized electrospun polylactic-co-glycolic acid nanofibers. This method showed high efficiency in capturing white blood cells (WBCs) and enriching cancer cells, making it promising for cancer diagnosis.
ADVANCED FIBER MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Bing Liu, Jingkai Zhou, Xiaoyan Wen, Jianhua Guo, Zhiheng Deng, Xu Hu
Summary: The mechanical performance of coral concrete under combined compression-shear stresses was investigated, and the shear failure modes, deformation proprieties, and shear strength components were analyzed. It was found that with the normal stress ratio increasing, the peak shear strength and corresponding shear displacement also increase. Five failure criterion models were proposed, with the one based on stress invariant achieving the highest prediction accuracy.
CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING MATERIALS
(2021)
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Fatemeh Farshchi, Mohammad Hasanzadeh
Summary: This review provides an overview of the current state of microfluidic biosensors for screening CTCs and briefly discusses the future outlook for the development of microfluidics biosensing.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Mahesh Padmalaya Bhat, Venkatachalam Thendral, Uluvangada Thammaiah Uthappa, Kyeong-Hwan Lee, Madhuprasad Kigga, Tariq Altalhi, Mahaveer D. Kurkuri, Krishna Kant
Summary: CTCs, circulating tumor cells, are widely used in clinical trials for tumor diagnosis, and capturing and isolating CTCs from whole blood samples has significant benefits in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Traditional methods are time-consuming and face challenges, while recent advances in microfluidic devices offer higher efficiency and accuracy in capturing and isolating CTCs.
Article
Oncology
Guanghou Fu, Kok Suen Cheng, Anqi Chen, Zhijie Xu, Xiaoyi Chen, Junjie Tian, Congcong Xu, Yukun Sun, Kuang Hong Neoh, Yun Dai, Ray P. S. Han, Baiye Jin
Summary: The study found that using a microfluidic approach to detect circulating tumor cells can help distinguish the risk stratification of bladder cancer, with a significantly higher number of CTCs in high-grade bladder cancer patients compared to low-grade patients.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ling Xia, Wanjun Zhou, Jianying Huang, Jianwei Dong, Xiaohua Xiao, Gongke Li
Summary: In this study, a simple COC microflow cytometer device was developed for size-resolved CTC counting. The device showed good counting accuracy for microspheres and demonstrated potential for the detection and counting of CTCs.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mehdi Rahmanian, Omid Sartipzadeh Hematabad, Esfandyar Askari, Farhad Shokati, Atin Bakhshi, Shiva Moghadam, Asiie Olfatbakhsh, Esmat Al Sadat Hashemi, Mohammad Khorsand Ahmadi, Seyed Morteza Naghib, Nidhi Sinha, Jurjen Tel, Hossein Eslami Amirabadi, Jaap M. J. den Toonder, Keivan Majidzadeh-A
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of a novel micropillar array-based microfluidic chip (MPA-Chip) for isolating circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from the blood of cancer patients, providing prognostic information and monitoring treatment efficacy. The lozenge geometry of the MPA-Chip was found to be the most effective design, with high capture efficiency (>85%), purity (>90%), and viability (97%).
JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Man Luo, Afu Fu, Renfei Wu, Na Wei, Kai Song, Sierin Lim, Kathy Qian
Summary: Resistance to doxorubicin remains a challenge in breast cancer treatment, especially for triple negative breast cancer. A study found that high levels of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) may contribute to the resistance of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress. Inhibiting G6PD could be a potential strategy to treat doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Sagar Regmi, Chetan Poudel, Rameshwar Adhikari, Kathy Qian Luo
Summary: Microfluidics and organ-on-a-chip technology have shown great potential in advancing oncology research. Microfluidics offers advantages such as low sample volume, minimal cost, and portability, making it valuable for cancer diagnostics and prognosis. Organ-on-a-chip technology, simulating human organ complexity, provides a dynamic platform to study tumor growth and progression. This paper provides an overview of the historical development, physics of fluid flow, and application of microfluidics and organ-on-a-chip technology in oncology. The current applications in cancer research, including CTC isolation, cancer cell phenotype study, organ replication, and drug development, are discussed. The significance and limitations of this technology are also addressed.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jinsong Tao, Zhengjie Wei, Yaxin Cheng, Meng Xu, Qiuxia Li, Simon Ming-Yuen Lee, Wei Ge, Kathy Qian Luo, Xueqing Wang, Ying Zheng
Summary: A transparent zebrafish model offers advantages for preclinical screening and evaluation. In this study, an apoptosis-sensing xenograft zebrafish tumor model was established to evaluate the anti-cancer effects of redox-responsive cross-linked Pluronic polymeric micelles. The model provides a visual, rapid, effective, and noninvasive assessment of anti-cancer effects at the cellular level.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Cheung Kwan Yeung, Yaping Yan, Li Yan, Yanchao Duan, Enqin Li, Borong Huang, Ke Lu, Koukou Li, Muya Zhou, Lei Zhang, Yaojiong Wu, Kathy Qian Luo, Weizhi Ji, Ren-He Xu, Wei Si
Summary: Previous research has shown that locally-administered MSCsp can promote wound healing and alleviate multiple sclerosis and osteoarthritis, while intravenous injection of MSCsp in cynomolgus monkeys has been found to be feasible, safe, and potentially associated with better efficacy.
Article
Biophysics
Hongmei Yang, Hao Jia, Qi Zhao, Kathy Qian Luo
Summary: Tumor immunotherapy, especially NK cell-based therapy, has gained attention due to its effectiveness with fewer side effects. This study establishes a 3D coculture model using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and zebrafish, allowing real-time visualization of the interaction and killing process of NK cells against cancer cells at single-cell resolution. The findings demonstrate the potential of NK cell therapy and provide a valuable in vivo tool for its development and evaluation.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jian Ju, Xinyu Zhang, Lin Li, Sagar Regmi, Guoqiang Yang, Shixing Tang
Summary: A novel fluorescent lateral flow immunoassay (LFA) platform was developed for the rapid and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. The platform employs aggregation-induced emission carbon dots conjugated with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, providing high sensitivity and potential applications in public health and clinical research.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yinghan Yan, Fuqiang Xing, Jiayue Cao, Yiling Hu, Ling Li, Zhengyin Gao, Hao Jia, Kai Miao, Fangyuan Shao, Chu-Xia Deng, Kathy Qian Luo, Leo Tsz on Lee, Tzu-Ming Liu
Summary: Conventional techniques for in vitro cancer drug screening lack the ability to assess pharmacodynamic information in live cells over time. This study found that endogenous lipofuscin-like autofluorescence can acutely accumulate during cell death and serve as a marker for apoptosis. The unique red autofluorescence of this marker can monitor treatment responses in 3D tumor-culture models and distinguish between necrosis and apoptosis. Furthermore, it can visualize apoptosis in live zebrafish embryos. Overall, this study validates the effectiveness of lipofuscin-like autofluorescence as a generic cell death marker for predicting the efficacy of anti-cancer drugs.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Shixing Tang, Lin Li, Rui Wang, Sagar Regmi, Xinyu Zhang, Guoqiang Yang, Jian Ju
Summary: A novel colorimetric method for the determination of sialic acid (SA) was developed using 4-mercaptophenyl boronic acid (4-MPBA) as the analyte's recognition molecule, and negative charge PEG (400) was used to repulsive the interparticle crosslinking. The proposed sensing platform showed a linear relationship between the ratio of the absorbance intensity (A(525)/A(660)) and concentration of SA from 0.05 to 8 mM (R-2 = 0.997), with a detection limit of 48 mu M. This gold-based colorimetric sensor is easy to fabricate, reproducible in its test performance, and has been successfully applied for the detection of SA in biological and healthcare product samples.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wei Huang, Hongyun Li, Janna Kiselar, Stephen P. P. Fink, Sagar Regmi, Alexander Day, Yiyuan Yuan, Mark Chance, Joseph M. M. Ready, Sanford D. D. Markowitz, Derek J. J. Taylor
Summary: Inhibition of 15-prostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) is a promising therapeutic target for regenerative medicine. We report the structure of 15-PGDH in complex with two different inhibitors. Unexpectedly, access to the binding pocket is regulated by a dynamic lid of the enzyme.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jian-Li Chen, Xiao-Hui Jia, Xinyue Xia, Xuan Wu, Yan-Neng Xu, Gang Yuan, Ze-Yun Gu, Kathy Qian Luo, Ming-Heng Yuan, Ruibin Jiang, Jianfang Wang, Xiao-Ming Zhu
Summary: In this study, hollow ZrO2 nanoshells were synthesized to encapsulate both the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine (CQ) and the HDAC inhibitor vorinostat (Vor) for effective combinational cancer therapy. The ZrO2 nanoshells showed high loading capacities for both CQ and Vor and exhibited a controlled release profile. The codelivery system enhanced the autophagy inhibition and hyperacetylation level in the cells, resulting in a superior antitumor effect in 4T1 tumor-bearing mice.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shigao Huang, Fuqiang Xing, Yeneng Dai, Zhiming Zhang, Guangyu Zhou, Shuo Yang, Yu-Cheng Liu, Zhen Yuan, Kathy Qian Luo, Tianlei Ying, Dafeng Chu, Tzu-Ming Liu, Chu-Xia Deng, Qi Zhao
Summary: Chimeric antigen receptor-modified natural killer cells (CAR-NK cells) have been developed as potential immunotherapeutic agents for cancer treatment. However, the complex barriers in the tumor microenvironment hinder the efficacy and trafficking of CAR-NK cells in solid tumors. In this study, the researchers developed a strategy using living CAR-NK cells as carriers to deliver anticancer drugs specifically to the tumor site. They also introduced a time-lapse method to evaluate the efficacy and tumor specificity of CAR-NK cells using a two-photon microscope. The results showed enhanced antitumor immunity when CAR-NK cells were combined with photosensitive chemicals in both in vitro and in vivo tumor models. Additionally, the researchers successfully visualized the trafficking, infiltration, and accumulation of drug-loaded CAR-NK cells in the deeply situated tumor microenvironment using non-invasive intravital two-photon microscopy. This study demonstrates the successful integration of CAR-NK cells as drug carriers and provides insights for combined cellular and small-molecule therapies in cancer treatment.
JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Meng Hao, Bin Huang, Renfei Wu, Zheng Peng, Kathy Qian Luo
Summary: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a higher mortality rate due to its strong metastatic capacity. Studies have shown that TNBC tumors have more infiltration of macrophages, which contributes to TNBC cell metastasis. However, the mechanisms behind how TNBC cells become more malignant after interacting with macrophages are not well understood. This study demonstrates that TNBC cells co-cultured with macrophages exhibit increased viability and metastatic ability compared to non-TNBC cells. Mechanistic studies reveal that this is attributed to the interaction of TNBC cells with macrophages in three phases, involving elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), upregulation of interleukin 1 alpha (IL1 alpha) expression, and activation of signaling pathways. Additionally, higher levels of IL1 alpha are associated with more macrophage infiltration and shorter overall survival in breast cancer patients. Therefore, targeting ROS or downregulating IL1 alpha expression may serve as potential strategies to reduce TNBC metastasis.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Muya Zhou, Koukou Li, Kathy Qian Luo
Summary: Circulatory treatment can increase metastasis of cancer cells by inducing detachment-induced anoikis and fluidic shear stress (SS)-mediated apoptosis. A microfluidic circulatory system is used to identify SS-specific mechanosensors and investigate their role in promoting invasion and metastasis of lung cancer cells. Enriched PRSS3, PAR2, and FOSL1 in human tumor samples and their correlations with worse outcomes suggest their clinical significance in targeting metastasis-initiating CTCs.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tianhong Li, Kathy Qian Luo
Summary: COVID-19, which broke out in 2019, has had a significant impact on global public health with 5.75 million deaths worldwide. Various vaccines have been developed to prevent the infection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, new variants pose a threat to vaccine recipients as they may escape immunological surveillance. Recent studies have shown that individuals who received two doses of vaccination and an additional booster shot were able to enhance neutralization and immune responses against the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 virus and certain initial viral variants. This review assesses the real-world effectiveness of different COVID-19 vaccines through population studies and neutralization assays, as well as comparing in vitro neutralization responses of booster vaccines. Lastly, continued vaccination is recommended to achieve long-term immune protection against the coronavirus as vaccine efficacy is expected to decline over time.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zheng Peng, Meng Hao, Haibo Tong, Hongmei Yang, Bin Huang, Zhigang Zhang, Kathy Qian Luo
Summary: This study investigates the heterotypic intercellular interactions between liver cancer cells and fibroblasts and identifies fibronectin and integrin-??5??1 as key regulatory molecules in promoting liver cancer cell growth. The study also finds that the upregulation of fibronectin, integrin-??5, and integrin-??1 is associated with microvascular invasion in HCC tumors.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)