Bridging the gap: microfluidic devices for short and long distance cell-cell communication.

ABSTRACT: Cell-cell communication is a crucial component of many biological functions. For example, understanding how immune cells and cancer cells interact, both at the immunological synapse and through cytokine secretion, can help us understand and improve cancer immunotherapy. The study of how cells communicate and form synaptic connections is important in neuroscience, ophthalmology, and cancer research. But in order to increase our understanding of these cellular phenomena, better tools need to be developed that allow us to study cell-cell communication in a highly controlled manner. Some technical requirements for better communication studies include manipulating cells spatiotemporally, high resolution imaging, and integrating sensors. Microfluidics is a powerful platform that has the ability

SUBMITTER: Vu TQ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5473339 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature