Microfluidic Single-Cell Proteomics Assay Chip: Lung Cancer Cell Line Case Study.
Yugyung JungMinkook SonYu Ri NamJongchan ChoiJames R HeathSung YangPublished in: Micromachines (2021)
Cancer is a dynamic disease involving constant changes. With these changes, cancer cells become heterogeneous, resulting in varying sensitivity to chemotherapy. The heterogeneity of cancer cells plays a key role in chemotherapy resistance and cancer recurrence. Therefore, for effective treatment, cancer cells need to be analyzed at the single-cell level by monitoring various proteins and investigating their heterogeneity. We propose a microfluidic chip for a single-cell proteomics assay that is capable of analyzing complex cellular signaling systems to reveal the heterogeneity of cancer cells. The single-cell assay chip comprises (i) microchambers (n = 1376) for manipulating single cancer cells, (ii) micropumps for rapid single-cell lysis, and (iii) barcode immunosensors for detecting nine different secretory and intracellular proteins to reveal the correlation among cancer-related proteins. Using this chip, the single-cell proteomics of a lung cancer cell line, which may be easily masked in bulk analysis, were evaluated. By comparing changes in the level of protein secretion and heterogeneity in response to combinations of four anti-cancer drugs, this study suggests a new method for selecting the best combination of anti-cancer drugs. Subsequent preclinical and clinical trials should enable this platform to become applicable for patient-customized therapies.
Keyphrases
- single cell
- high throughput
- rna seq
- clinical trial
- mass spectrometry
- papillary thyroid
- circulating tumor cells
- randomized controlled trial
- stem cells
- gene expression
- label free
- young adults
- radiation therapy
- squamous cell
- locally advanced
- cell therapy
- mesenchymal stem cells
- dna methylation
- amino acid
- squamous cell carcinoma
- lymph node metastasis
- open label
- rectal cancer
- data analysis