Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Publication Date

Summer 7-10-2018

Abstract

Adaptation of cancer cells to changes in the biochemical microenvironment in an expanding tumor mass is a crucial aspect of malignant progression, tumor metabolism, and drug efficacy. In vitro, it is challenging to mimic the evolution of biochemical gradients and the cellular heterogeneity that characterizes cancer tissues found in vivo. It is well accepted that more realistic and controllable in vitro 3D model systems are required to improve the overall cancer research paradigm and thus improve on the translation of results, but multidisciplinary approaches are needed for these advances. This work develops such approaches and demonstrates that new droplet-based cell-encapsulation techniques have the ability to encapsulate cancer cells in droplets for standardized and more realistic 3D cell culture and cancer biology applications. Three individual droplet generating platforms have been designed and optimized for droplet-based cell encapsulation. Each has its own advancements and challenges. Together, however, these technologies accomplish medium to high-throughput generation (10 droplets/second to 25,000 droplets/second) of biomaterial droplets for encapsulation of a range of cell occupancies (5 cells/droplet to 400 cells/droplet). The data presented also demonstrates the controlled generation of cell-sized small droplets for biomolecule compartmentalization, droplets with diameters ranging between 100-400 μm depending on device parameters, and the generation of instant spheroids. Standardized assays for analyzing cells grown within these new 3D environments include proliferation assays of cells grown in mono- and co-cultures, the generation of large and uniform populations of scaffold supported multicellular spheroids, and a new system for culturing encapsulated cells in altered environmental conditions.

Keywords

droplets, microfluidics, cell encapsulation, hypoxia, acidosis, spheroids

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Biomedical Sciences

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program

First Committee Member (Chair)

Helen J. Hathaway

Second Committee Member

James P. Freyer

Third Committee Member

Diane S. Like

Fourth Committee Member

Andrew P. Shreve

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