Overview

Cell rolling, tethering along the microcapillary wall, attachment, firm adhesion and subsequent migration are all key steps in cell-cell signaling and involved in inflammation and therapeutic areas such as oncology, cardiovascular diseases (e.g. atherosclerosis), infectious diseases (e.g. malaria) and respiratory diseases (e.g. asthma and COPD). These experimental conditions can easily be studied using Cellix's microfluidic pumps and biochips. The dimensions of the biochips can mimic those of human capillaries thereby enabling researchers to simulate in vivo microenvironments. A key additional benefit of using microfluidics is the reduction in sample volume required for experiments. This is particularly important when using whole blood. Cellix's 8-channel Mirus Evo Nanopump enables researchers to conduct up to 8 assays simultaneously in microfluidic biochips while single assays may be conducted using the ExiGo pump. The microcapillary walls of Cellix's biochips may be pre-coated with Selectins, adhesion molecules such as VCAM, ICAM, MadCAM; chemoattractants such as MCP-1, Fractalkine or other proteins of interest. It is also possible to culture endothelial cells (e.g. HUVECs, HMVECs, HLMECs) via the Kima pump, resulting in a set-up for studying cell-cell interaction.

Assays:

• cell rolling, adhesion & migration assays
• cell observation with brightfield, phase contrast and immunostaining microscopy (all biochips)
• cell observation with confocal microscopy (Vena8 Fluoro+ and Vena8 Glass Coverslip biochips only)
• T-cell, B-cell, platelet, neutrophil, PBMC, monocyte, eosinophil, ligand-interaction studies
• T-cell-endothelial; neutrophil-endothelial; PBMC-endothelial; monocyte-endothelial; eosinophil-endothelial cell interaction studies
• investigation of anti-inflammatory therapies

Assay Examples:

• Inflammation: Leukocyte adhesion - quantifying adhesion, inhibition, stimulation
• Inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 1 regulated neutrophil function in innate immunity by inhibiting phosphatidylinositol-(3,4,5)-triphosphate signaling.
• Del-1, an Endogenous Leukocyte-Endothelial Adhesion Inhibitor, Limits Inflammatory Cell Recruitment.