24 Feb Microfluidic chip mimics several physiological features of bone marrow niche
“Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable B cell malignancy characterized by the accumulation of monoclonal abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow (BM). It has been a significant challenge to study the spatiotemporal interactions of MM cancer cells with the embedded microenvironments of BM. Here we report a microfluidic device which was designed to mimic several physiological features of the BM niche: (1) sinusoidal circulation, (2) sinusoidal endothelium, and (3) stroma. The endothelial and stromal compartments were constructed and used to demonstrate the device’s utility by spatiotemporally characterizing the CXCL12-mediated egression of MM cells from the BM stroma and its effects on the barrier function of endothelial cells (ECs). We found that the egression of MM cells resulted in less organized and loosely connected ECs, the widening of EC junction pores, and increased permeability through ECs, but without significantly affecting the number density of viable ECs. The results suggest that the device can be used to study the physical and secreted factors determining the trafficking of cancer cells through BM. The sinusoidal flow feature of the device provides an integral element for further creating systemic models of cancers that reside or metastasize to the BM niche.”
“Microfluidic culture device designed to mimic the trafficking of cancer cells through the sinusoidal niche of bone marrow (BM). (a) Schematic illustration of major physiological features of the sinusoidal niche. (b) Schematic illustration of the recapitulated sinusoidal niche in the device. (c) Device design based on a 96-well plate configuration. (d) Actual device operated inside an incubator using an external peristaltic pump.” Reproduced under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License from Sui, C., Zilberberg, J. & Lee, W. Microfluidic device engineered to study the trafficking of multiple myeloma cancer cells through the sinusoidal niche of bone marrow. Sci Rep 12, 1439 (2022).
Figures and the abstract are reproduced from Sui, C., Zilberberg, J. & Lee, W. Microfluidic device engineered to study the trafficking of multiple myeloma cancer cells through the sinusoidal niche of bone marrow. Sci Rep 12, 1439 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05520-4 under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Read the original article: Microfluidic device engineered to study the trafficking of multiple myeloma cancer cells through the sinusoidal niche of bone marrow