Summary:
UCLA researchers in the Department of Bioengineering have developed a microfluidic technique that can encapsulate specific cells and separate them with fluorescence cell sorters.
Background:
The interest in cell-derived byproducts such as recombinant therapeutic proteins and antibody therapy has increased in the past years. Typically, these therapeutics are manufactured in cell lines, such as Chinese hamster ovary cells. But due to the complexity of the manufacturing process, it can be difficult to separate cells that produce these therapies from non-productive cells. Current methods use macroscale techniques to enrich the population of the desired cells. However, these techniques have very low throughputs and require laborious and expensive equipment. Therefore, there is a need for a technique that can separate productive vs unproductive cells in a high-throughput manner.
Innovation:
UCLA researchers in the Department of Bioengineering have developed a technique that allows the screening of cells using hollow shell particles in a high-throughput manner. The method utilizes droplet microfluidic techniques to produce biodegradable hollow shell particles with specific sorting properties. These shells can be added to a desired cell’s native media for cell single cell encapsulation and uses continuous solution flow exchange to ensure each cells have a suitable environment while encapsulated. The encapsulated cells can then be sorted in a high throughput manner using instruments such as fluorescence cell sorters. This allows for specific separation of cells with desirable traits while the biodegradable shells protect the cells from being destroyed in the sorting process. The cells can be later released for further analysis or processing. This technique can potentially reduce the cost of production by minimizing required equipment and quickly identifying desired cell lines.
The above video shows a microalgae swimming in a PicoShell (Credit: Di Carlo Lab)
Potential Applications:
- Protein biomarker detection
- Genetic biomarker detection
- Cell production
- Cell-derived byproduct production
- Cell analysis and screening
Advantages:
- Lower sample volume
- Rapid detection
- Cost effective
- Versatile molecule analysis
- Biodegradable
- Cell incubation
- Easy cell staining and analysis
Development to Date:
Successfully encapsulated cells and were able to separate them from one another.
Relevant Publications:
High-throughput selection of cells based on accumulated growth and division using PicoShell particles. Mark van Zee, Joseph de Rutte, Rose Rumyan, +8, and Dino Di Carlo. January 19, 2022 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2109430119