Abstract

Detection of Cytochrome C from Micro-Dissected Tumors in Microfluidic Arrays using Aptamer-Based Electrochemical Sensors

Tran Ngoc Huyen Nguyen, Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Washington

Functional assays on intact tissues can potentially complement and extend genomics-based approaches for precision oncology by capturing key determinants of therapeutic response, such as tissue architecture, tumor heterogeneity, and the tumor microenvironment (TME). The Folch lab has recently developed a platform for drug development and cancer precision therapy based on a multi-well microfluidic device that can selectively treat a large array of regularly sized, cuboidal-shaped microdissected tissues (referred to as “cuboids”). The tissues are never dissociated and retain much of the native TME. However, the present platform only provides fluorescent readouts, which is a semi-quantitative method best suited to be a single-time-point terminal assay or labor-intensive terminal immunostaining analysis. Thus, we seek to develop a novel platform based on aptamer-based electrochemical sensing, which enables the periodic monitoring of cytochrome c, a cell death indicator. Using the platform, we demonstrate the ability to measure cytochrome c from live cuboids cultured with different drug conditions on our platform.