title: Identification of drugs as single agents or in combination to prevent carcinoma dissemination in a microfluidic 3D environment.
abstract: Experiments were performed in a modified microfluidic platform recapitulating part of the in vivo tumor microenvironment by co-culturing carcinoma cell aggregates embedded in a three-dimensional (3D) collagen scaffold with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs were seeded in one channel of the device to initiate vessel-like structures in vitro prior to introducing the aggregates. The lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 and the bladder carcinoma cell line T24 were tested. Dose-response assays of four drugs known to interfere with Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) signaling pathways were quantified using relative dispersion as a metric of EMT progression. The presence of HUVECs in one channel induces cell dispersal in A549 which then can be inhibited by each of the four drugs. Complete inhibition of T24 aggregate dispersal, however, is not achieved with any single agent, although partial inhibition was observed with 10 μM of the Src inhibitor, AZD-0530. Almost complete inhibition of T24 dispersal in monoculture was achieved only when the four drugs were added in combination, each at 10 μM concentration. Coculture of T24 with HUVECs forfeits the almost-complete inhibition. The enhanced dispersal observed in the presence of HUVECs is a consequence of secretion of growth factors, including HGF and FGF-2, by endothelial cells. This 3D microfluidic co-culture platform provides an in vivo-like surrogate for anti-invasive and anti-metastatic drug screening. It will be particularly useful for defining combination therapies for aggressive tumors such as invasive bladder carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: BioSystems and Micromechanics IRG, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 138602, Singapore.|Department of Mechanical and Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: BioSystems and Micromechanics IRG, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 138602, Singapore.
authors.forename: Ting-Yuan
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Kyungil University, Gyeongbuk, 712-701, South Korea.
authors.forename: Choong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: BioSystems and Micromechanics IRG, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 138602, Singapore.|Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), 138673, Singapore.|Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, 117597, Singapore.
authors.forename: Jean Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Thiery
authors.affiliation: BioSystems and Micromechanics IRG, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, 138602, Singapore.|Department of Mechanical and Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Roger D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Kamm
mesh_terms: D000072283:A549 Cells; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / Q000187:drug effects; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; D006801:Humans; D056656:Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014162:Transfection; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: bladder cancer; drug screening; epithelial-mesenchymal transition; microfluidics; synergistic effect