title: Ethanol-dispersed and antibody-conjugated polymer nanofibers for the selective capture and 3-dimensional culture of EpCAM-positive cells.
abstract: Electrospun and ethanol-dispersed polystyrene-poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (PS-PSMA) nanofibers (NFs) were used as a platform for the selective capture and three-dimensional culture of EpCAM-positive cells in cell culture medium and whole blood. The NFs were treated with streptavidin to facilitate bond formation between the amino groups of streptavidin and the maleic anhydride groups of the NFs. A biotinylated anti-EpCAM monoclonal antibody (mAb) was attached to the streptavidin-conjugated NFs via the selective binding of streptavidin and biotin. Upon simple mixing and shaking with EpCAM-positive cancer cells in a wide concentration range from 10 to 1000,000 cells per 10mL, the mAb-attached NFs (mAb-NFs) captured the Ep-CAM positive cells in an efficiency of 59%-67% depending on initial cell concentrations, with minor mechanical capture of 14%-36%. Captured cells were directly cultured, forming cell aggregates, in the NF matrix, which ensures the cell proliferation and follow-up analysis. Furthermore, the capture capacity of mAb-NFs was assessed in the presence of whole blood and blood lysates, indicating cluster formation that captured target cells. It is anticipated that the antibody-attached NFs can be employed for the capture and analysis of very rare EpCAM positive circulating cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Junghyo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hee-Sook
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Yoojin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sanghyun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Youngjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jbkim3@korea.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jungbae
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: sidchung@korea.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Seok
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000071858:Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule; D000431:Ethanol; D006801:Humans; D057139:Nanofibers; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D019809:Streptavidin
chemical_list: D000071858:Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule; D000431:Ethanol; D019809:Streptavidin
keywords: Circulating tumor cells; Culture template; Electrospun nanofibers; Ethanol dispersion; Selective capture