SINGAPORE - Singapore scientists have developed a miniaturisedbiochip for investigating the effect of drugs on cancer stem cells(CSCs), paving the way for the development of more effective cancerdrugs. In a tumor, CSCs form a small and distinct class of cancer cellsthat are more resistant to chemotherapy. Similar to stem cells found in human tissues, CSCs can produce anddifferentiate into different cell types. Thus, if CSCs are noteradicated, they can repopulate the tumour and lead to cancerrecurrence. Hence, it is important for researchers to understand the efficacyof anti-cancer drugs against CSCs. However, since CSCs are so scarce - they make up approximately 1per cent of cancer cells - their study has been hampered byconventional drug screening methods, which require large samplevolumes and are slow and expensive. A team of researchers from the Institute of Bioengineering andNanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering andnanotechnology research institute, has developed a technologycalled the Droplet Array to perform cheaper, faster and moreconvenient drug screening using limited samples. In traditional biological assays, microplates - a flat plate withmultiple wells in which samples are placed - are commonly used, andeach well requires at least 2,500 or 5,000 cells, to be present forviable analysis. By comparison, IBN's Droplet Array is a flat, rectangular glassplate on which a series of spots, each 2 millimeters in diameter,are arranged. Each spot requires only 500 cells for screening. This massivereduction in sample volume not only saves money, but is alsoparticularly advantageous for studying scarce quantities of targetcells, such as CSCs. Using this technology, the team analysed the CSCs extracted frombreast, liver and colon cancer cells. It was found that chemotherapeutic drugs such as doxorubicin, whichusually induce cell death in liver cancer cells, demonstrated poorefficacy in liver CSCs. The CSCs from the breast and colon tumorsalso showed much greater ability to survive the effects ofanti-cancer drugs. The drug resistance properties of CSCs have been widely discussedin recent years but until now, it has been challenging to quantifythis correlation. Using the Droplet Array, IBN researchers have successfullydemonstrated that CSCs can survive chemotherapy and drivemetastasis. Lead researcher Professor Jackie Y. Ying said the discovery helpsaccelerate drug screening and development, and that the team hopesthat it will facilitate the development of more effective cancerdrugs. The miniaturized biochip is compatible with existing laboratoryinstruments, such as plate readers and microscopes, and reduces theset-up cost and the need to purchase additional equipment whenadapting to this new technology. yamadak@sph.com.sg. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Steel Shipping Containers , Beam Trolley Hoist Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Monorail Accessories today!
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