Scaffold-integrated microchips for end-to-end in vitro tumor cell attachment and xenograft formation.

ABSTRACT: Microfluidic technologies have substantially advanced cancer research by enabling the isolation of rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. The characterization of isolated CTCs has been limited due to the difficulty in recovering and growing isolated cells with high fidelity. Here, we present a strategy that uses a 3D scaffold, integrated into a microfludic device, as a transferable substrate that can be readily isolated after device operation for serial use in vivo as a transplanted tissue bed. Hydrogel scaffolds were incorporated into a PDMS fluidic chamber prior to bonding and were rehydrated in the chamber after fluid contact. The hydrogel matrix completely filled the fluid chamber, significantly increasing the surface area to volume ratio, an

SUBMITTER: Lee J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4687757 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature