Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Tumor-initiating cells (TICs), a subpopulation of cancerous cells with high tumorigenic potential and stem-cell-like properties, drive tumor progression and are resistant to conventional therapies. Identification and isolation of TICs are limited by their low frequency and lack of robust markers. Here, we characterize the heterogeneous adhesive properties of a panel of human and murine cancer cells and demonstrate differences in adhesion strength among cells, which exhibit TIC properties and those that do not. These differences in adhesion strength were exploited to rapidly (~10 min) and efficiently isolate cancerous cells with increased tumorigenic potential in a label-free manner by use of a microfluidic technology. Isolated murine and human cancer cells gave rise to larger tumors with increased growth rate and higher frequency in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice, respectively. This rapid and label-free TIC isolation technology has the potential to be a valuable tool for facilitating research into TIC biology and the development of more efficient diagnostics and cancer therapies.
Source: Integrative Biology
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Awards: Cell and Tissue Engineering Training Program, An organotypic model recapitulating colon cancer microenvironment and metastasis, uSHEAR Technology for Cancer Cell Purificaiton, The miR-20/c-Myc/E2F Regulatory Axis is Critical for the Tumor Promoting Activity of Inflammatory Fibroblasts in Colitis-Associated Cancer
OpenAlex ID: W3002974744