Positive selection, sorting, and collection of single cells from within a heterogeneous population are required for many biological studies. Researchers in the Allbritton Group recently demonstrated a miniaturized cell array for this purpose; however, on-chip pre-enrichment and isolation of specific target cells would provide significant value for cell isolation. In the current work, mixed cell samples of fewer than 30,000 cells were used for panning by means of on-array antibody-capture to pre-enrich the target population. The cell surface receptors FcεR1, c-Kit, and ErbB2 were used for positive selection of RBL, RBL, and SK-BR-3 cells, respectively, from the mixed population. The capture efficiency, selectivity, and enrichment for the target cells were calculated and compared with fibronectin-coated controls.
As expected, the capture efficiency depended on the frequency of the target cell in the mixed population over the range of 0.3-33%. For a frequency of 5% target cells, the capture efficiency was 39%-53% for the three conditions, while the selectivity varied between 78% and 98% with 16-20-fold enrichment. Furthermore, single-cell cloning studies demonstrated a high cloning efficiency of target cells selectively isolated from the array. Antibody-based pre-enrichment in combination with micropallet-based cell selection will be a valuable tool for isolation and expansion of rare cells from small heterogeneous populations.
A disagreement between Chemistry faculty members Nancy Allbritton and David Lawrence over which cancer -- breast or prostate -- should be the higher priority in their partnership resulted in two successful NIH grant proposals. Lawrence is taking the lead on a prostate cancer grant while Allbritton leads a breast cancer grant – totaling almost $5 million over the next five years.
Allbritton moved to UNC from the University of California at Irvine, and Lawrence from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. They decided to come to UNC for similar reasons – a top-notch chemistry department that meshed well with their interests, an outstanding medical school, and a first-rate cancer center. Both of them are members of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in addition to their appointment in the College of Arts and Sciences and both were looking for research partners.
Soon after their arrival, they realized that their research interests overlapped. "We have very similar interests but bring to the table different tools to attack the biological problems that interest us," says David. "Nancy really knows how to manipulate and design analytical chemistry technology in a way that goes beyond the frontiers of science. I do the same thing, but at the molecular level." Allbritton asked Lawrence to discuss a possible collaboration over lunch, which he accepted, joking, "How could I say no when she was paying?" For her part, Allbritton is happy that a simple lunch 'bribed' Lawrence to participate in a scientific collaboration that is now paying huge dividends, thanks to an investment by the University Cancer Research Fund (UCRF).