Low-cost robotic manipulation of live microtissues for cancer drug testing.

Journal: Science advances
PMID: 40367160

Abstract

The scarcity of human biopsies available for drug testing is a paramount challenge for developing therapeutics, disease models, and personalized treatments. Microtechnologies that combine the microscale manipulation of tissues and fluids offer the exciting possibility of miniaturizing both disease models and drug testing workflows on scarce human biopsies. Unfortunately, these technologies presently require microfluidic devices or robotic dispensers that are not widely accessible. We have rapidly prototyped an inexpensive platform based on an off-the-shelf robot that can microfluidically manipulate live microtissues into/out of culture plates without using complicated accessories such as microscopes or pneumatic controllers. The robot integrates complex functions with a simple, cost-effective, and compact construction, allowing placement inside a tissue culture hood for sterile workflows. We demonstrated a proof-of-concept cancer drug evaluation workflow of potential clinical utility using patient tumor biopsies with multiple drugs on 384-well plates. Our user-friendly, low-cost platform promises to make drug testing of microtissues broadly accessible to pharmaceutical, clinical, and biological laboratories.

Authors

  • Ivan Stepanov
    Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
  • Noah R Gottshall
    Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
  • Alireza Ahmadianyazdi
    Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
  • Daksh Sinha
    Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
  • Ethan J Lockhart
    Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
  • Tran N H Nguyen
    Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
  • Sarmad Hassan
    Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
  • Lisa F Horowitz
    Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
  • Raymond S Yeung
    Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
  • Taranjit S Gujral
    Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
  • Albert Folch
    Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.

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