Oxygen gradient hydrogel drug screening
AssigneesThe Johns Hopkins University, The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
InventorsSharon Gerecht, Daniel Lewis, Kyung Min Park, T. S. Karin Eisinger, M. Celeste Simon
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Abstract
The present invention describes methods for quantifying and analyzing cell migration and drug screening. Such methods include a gel (or a hydrogel) comprising a polymer, and cells that forms an oxygen gradient within the gel by controlling the balance of the diffusion of oxygen through the top of the gel and by the consumption of oxygen uptake by the cells. The migration of the cells is determined while the cells are grown in the gel of the present invention.
Claims27
A method of analyzing cell migration comprising:
- providing a gel comprising a top, a polymer, and cells;
- forming an oxygen gradient within the gel by controlling a balance of the diffusion of oxygen through the top of the gel and of the consumption of oxygen uptake by the cells;
- and
- measuring speed, distance, or direction of cell motility or any combination thereof, thereby analyzing cell migration;
- wherein analyzing cell migration comprises immunofluorescent staining of the cells and a fluorescent microscope;
- wherein the step of analyzing cell migration quantifies the amount cell migration when comparing the cell migration of the cells with reference cell migration of reference cells in a reference sample.
A method of identifying agents for treating or preventing cancer comprising:
- providing a gel comprising a top, a polymer, and cancer cells;
- forming an oxygen gradient by controlling a balance of the diffusion of oxygen through the top of the gel and by the consumption of oxygen uptake by the cancer cells;
- applying an agent to the gel;
- and
- comparing a characteristic of the cancer cells in the gel to cancer cells in a reference gel wherein the agent has not been applied to the reference gel, wherein the agent reduces or inhibits the characteristic of the cancer cells in the gel compared to the cancer cells in the reference gel, thereby identifying agents for treating or preventing cancer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.