Microfluidic co-culture devices to assess penetration of nanoparticles into cancer cell mass.

ABSTRACT: In vitro and in vivo assessment of safety and efficacy are the essential first steps in developing nanoparticle-based therapeutic systems. However, it is often challenging to use the knowledge gained from in vitro studies to predict the outcome of in vivo studies since the complexity of the in vivo environment, including the existence of flow and a multicellular environment, is often lacking in traditional in vitro models. Here, we describe a microfluidic co-culture model comprising 4T1 breast cancer cells and EA.hy926 endothelial cells under physiological flow conditions and its utilization to assess the penetration of therapeutic nanoparticles from the vascular compartment into a cancerous cell mass. Camptothecin nanocrystals (∼310 nm in length), surface-functionalized with PEG or folic

SUBMITTER: Jarvis M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5689499 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature