Endothelial and Epithelial Cell Research | Applications

Breaking boundaries in barrier cell studies

Endothelial and epithelial cells are critical in maintaining the homeostatic exchange of nutrients, gases, and other materials between tissues and their environment. Changes in barrier cell function and structure have been found to play central roles in neurodegeneration, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, and other conditions.

Because of their complexity and intricate relationship with their environment, barrier cells are challenging to study with traditional in vitro tools and assays. Crucial changes can happen transiently or develop over several days – either in a subset of cells or over an entire culture. Pixel’s electrical imaging captures multiparametric data across multiple time scales with high spatial resolution, delivering a more complete picture of cell behavior, structure, function, and barrier-forming properties.

Cell biology powered by microchips

CytoTronics’ semiconductor-to-live-cell-interface integrates microchips into each well of a standard 96- or 384-well Pixel plate, enabling measurement of high-resolution multiparametric data from live cells. Pixel captures everything from fleeting to long-term changes in barrier cells at every time scale to illuminate complex cellular processes like barrier formation and transportation of molecules across tissue barriers.

“Understanding how barrier tissues function is essential for the design of effective pharmaceutical compounds.”

Sakolish et al., eBioMedicine (2016)

Investigate critical processes in development and disease

Monitor endothelial cell motility and tissue barrier formation in real time

Endothelial and epithelial cells exhibit unique motility and barrier-forming properties, enabling them to function as dynamic interfaces between tissues and their environment. Pixel’s electrical imaging enables you to do high-resolution, longitudinal studies of cell movement and barrier formation.

High sensitivity and spatial accuracy allows you to monitor real-time endothelial cell behavior, including motility (left) and formation of cell junctions and tissue barrier (right, deep blue), with unmatched clarity.

Characterize compound-induced changes in barrier structure and function

Changes in barrier permeability can disrupt the delicate balance between proteins, ions, and other materials required to maintain the health and normal function of different tissues and body systems. Measuring the effects of chemically modulating barrier permeability with Pixel opens a pathway to study the effects of these changes on cell behavior and overall barrier function. To learn more, read our case study.

Measuring compound effect on barrier formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Measure tissue barrier in sub-confluent cultures and different cell lines

While traditional TEER assays only capture tissue barrier formation in confluent cultures with high barrier, Pixel is sensitive to subtle changes in adhesion proteins and can detect barrier formation at different cell densities, enabling continuous monitoring of barrier development and confluence across cell lines. To learn more, read our technical note.

Measuring tissue barrier with electrical imaging in 4 different cell lines.

Distinguish between cell populations in co-cultured models of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT)

In certain disease states like cancer and fibrosis, epithelial cells can undergo a phenomenon known as the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). When this happens, cells exhibit changes in behavioral and structural properties including losing the ability to form barriers, becoming more migratory and invasive, and acquiring altered morphologies. Pixel allows you to track this transition and distinguish cell populations exhibiting varying degrees of EMT in the same culture for a deeper study of their role in disease processes. To learn more, read our application note.

Multiparametric electrical imaging data enables distinction of co-cultured cell lines.

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Endothelial and epithelial cells

Breaking boundaries in barrier cell studies

Cell biology powered by microchips

Investigate critical processes in development and disease

Monitor endothelial cell motility and tissue barrier formation in real time

Characterize compound-induced changes in barrier structure and function

Measure tissue barrier in sub-confluent cultures and different cell lines

Distinguish between cell populations in co-cultured models of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT)

Resources

Modeling the blood-brain barrier: Tools, challenges, & solutions

In vitro modeling of vascular biology using human umbilical vein endothelial cells

In vitro disease modeling in human coronary artery endothelial cells

Modulation of barrier in primary human coronary artery endothelial cells

Spatial resolution: assessing population heterogeneity

Analysis of spatial growth properties in live cells

Monitoring motility using CytoTronics’ microplate

Monitoring tissue barrier using CytoTronics’ microplate

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