High-Throughput Single-Cell Derived Sphere Formation for Cancer Stem-Like Cell Identification and Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Considerable evidence suggests that many malignancies are driven by a cellular compartment that displays stem cell properties. Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) can be identified by expression of cell surface markers or enzymatic activity, but these methods are limited by phenotypic heterogeneity and plasticity of CSCs. An alternative phenotypic methodology based on in-vitro sphere formation has been developed, but it is typically labor-intensive and low-throughput. In this work, we present a 1,024-microchamber microfluidic platform for single-cell derived sphere formation. Utilizing a hydrodynamic capturing scheme, more than 70% of the microchambers capture only one cell, allowing for monitoring of sphere formation from heterogeneous cancer cell populations for identification of CSCs. Single-

SUBMITTER: Chen YC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4904376 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature