The NANIVID: A new device for cancer cell migration studies

Cancerous tumors are dynamic microenvironments that require unique analytical tools for their study. Better understanding of tumor microenvironments may reveal mechanisms behind tumor progression and generate new strategies for diagnostic marker development, which can be used routinely in histopathological analysis. Previous studies have shown that cell invasion and intravasation are related to metastatic potential and have linked these activities to gene expression patterns seen in migratory and invasive tumor cells in vivo. Existing analytical methods for tumor microenvironments include collection of tumor cells through a catheter needle loaded with a chemical or protein attractant (chemoattractant). This method has some limitations and restrictions, including time constraints of cell collection, long term anesthetization, and in vivo imaging inside the catheter. In this study, a novel implantable device was designed to replace the catheter-based method. The 1.5mm x 0.5mm x 0.24mm device is designed to controllably release chemoattractants for stimulation of tumor cell migration and subsequent cell capture. Devices were fabricated using standard microfabrication techniques and have been shown to mediate controlled release of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). Optically transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes have been incorporated into the device for impedance-based measurement of cell density and have been shown to be compatible with in vivo multi-photon imaging of cell migration.