Forcyte Biotechnologies

4 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Developmental Biology

Comprehensive Assessment of Germline Chemical Toxicity Using the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Daniela A. Parodi¹, Robert Damoiseaux³, Patrick Allard^1,2

¹Institute for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, ²Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, ³California Nanosystems Institute, Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles

We describe the detailed steps of a high-throughput chemical assay in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans used to assess germline toxicity. In this assay, disruption of germline function following chemical exposure is monitored using a fluorescent reporter specific to aneuploid embryos.

Biochemistry

Isolation and Analysis of Plasma Lipoproteins by Ultracentrifugation

Manabu Niimi¹, Haizhao Yan¹, Yajie Chen¹, Yao Wang², Jianglin Fan^1,2

¹Department of Molecular Pathology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, ²School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University

Several methods have been used for analyzing plasma lipoproteins; however, ultracentrifugation is still one of the most popular and reliable methods. Here, we describe a method regarding how to isolate lipoproteins from plasma using sequential density ultracentrifugation and how to analyze the apolipoproteins for both diagnostic and research purposes.

Bioengineering

Simplified, High-throughput Analysis of Single-cell Contractility using Micropatterned Elastomers

Lara Hairapetian¹, Enrico Cortes¹, Junyi Zhao¹, Yao Wang¹, Ricky Huang¹, Robert Damoiseaux^1,2, Ivan Pushkarsky¹

¹Forcyte Biotechnologies, ²University of California, Los Angeles

This work presents a flexible protocol for utilizing fluorescently labeled elastomeric contractible surfaces (FLECS) Technology in microwell format for simplified, hands-off quantification of single-cell contractile forces based on visualized displacements of fluorescent protein micropatterns.

Bioengineering

Hydrogel Arrays Enable Increased Throughput for Screening Effects of Matrix Components and Therapeutics in 3D Tumor Models

Jesse Liang¹, Alireza Sohrabi¹, Mary Epperson¹, Laila M. Rad¹, Kelly Tamura¹, Mayilone Sathialingam¹, Thamira Skandakumar¹, Philip Lue¹, Jeremy Huang¹, James Popoli¹, Aidan Yackly¹, Michael Bick¹, Ze Zhong Wang¹, Chia-Chun Chen¹, Grigor Varuzhanyan¹, Robert Damoiseaux¹, Stephanie K. Seidlits¹

¹University of California Los Angeles

The present protocol describes an experimental platform to assess the effects of mechanical and biochemical cues on chemotherapeutic responses of patient-derived glioblastoma cells in 3D matrix-mimetic cultures using a custom-made UV illumination device facilitating high-throughput photocrosslinking of hydrogels with tunable mechanical features.