Microfluidic control of cell pairing and fusion

Nature Methods, 2009, 6, 147.

Cell fusion has been used for many different purposes, including generation of hybridomas and reprogramming of somatic cells. The fusion step is the key event in initiation of these procedures. Standard fusion techniques, however, provide poor and random cell contact, leading to low yields. We present here a microfluidic device to trap and properly pair thousands of cells. Using this device, we paired different cell types, including fibroblasts, mouse embryonic stem cells and myeloma cells, achieving pairing efficiencies up to 70%. The device is compatible with both chemical and electrical fusion protocols. We observed that electrical fusion was more efficient than chemical fusion, with membrane reorganization efficiencies of up to 89%. We achieved greater than 50% properly paired and fused cells over the entire device, fivefold greater than with a commercial electrofusion chamber and observed reprogramming in hybrids between mouse embryonic stem cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts.

RNAi Sponge soaks up endongenous miRNA

This paper uses 7 miRNA binding sites linked together to soak up the cells’ natural miRNA. A neat option for new  molecular engineering ideas, i.e. one could use aptamers chains to soakup targets? Very clever and useful. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1769406