University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

3 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Bioengineering

A Cre-Lox P Recombination Approach for the Detection of Cell Fusion In Vivo

Anthony J. Sprangers¹, Brian T. Freeman¹, Nicholas A. Kouris¹, Brenda M. Ogle²

¹Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, ²Department of Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science Program, Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A method to track cell fusion in living organisms over time is described. The approach utilizes Cre-LoxP recombination to induce luciferase expression upon cell fusion. The luminescent signal generated can be detected in living organisms using biophotonic imaging systems with a sensitivity of detection of ˜1,000 cells in peripheral tissues.

JoVE Journal

Ethylene Polymerizations Using Parallel Pressure Reactors and a Kinetic Analysis of Chain Transfer Polymerization

Ryan J. Hue¹, Ian A. Tonks¹

¹Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

A protocol for the high-throughput analysis of polymerization catalyst, chain transfer polymerizations, polyethylene characterization, and reaction kinetic analysis is presented.

Cancer Research

Moving Upwards: A Simple and Flexible In Vitro Three-dimensional Invasion Assay Protocol

Tanner J. McArdle¹, Brenda M. Ogle^1,2,3,4,5, Felicite K. Noubissi⁶

¹Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, ²Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, ³Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, ⁴Lillehei Heart Institute, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, ⁵Institute for Engineering in Medicine, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, ⁶Department of Biology, Jackson State University

This protocol describes an inverted vertical invasion assay that could be used to quantify the migration and invasion capabilities of cells in a three-dimensional setting while preserving the cell microenvironment. This assay is suitable for rare and/or sensitive cells.