Funding was received from the Fischell Department of Bioengineering (KM), T32 GM080201 (MA), Vogel Endowed Summer Fellowship (MA), LAM Foundation (KM), and American Lung Association (KM).&#160;The authors wish to thank Michele Kaluzienski for help with editing.

This protocol was approved by the UMD Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Tissues from 7 to 9-week-old female C57BL/6J mice were used for these studies. The animals were obtained from a commercial source (see Table of Materials).
1. Manual dissociation
NOTE: This step is adapted from Maisel K. et al.7.
<ol>
	<li>Remove dissected tissue and place it in cold cell culture media with 5% fetal bovine serum (FBS).</li>
	<li>Chop the tissue using sharp dissection scissors until fragments are smaller than 1 mm in any dimension.</li>
	<li>Transfer the minced tissue to a 15 mL conical tube and add 5 mL of media.</li>
	<li>Add digestion enzymes based on the tissue and cell types being isolated. For the presented experiments, use Collagenase 4 (1 mg/mL), Collagenase D (1 mg/mL), and DNase (40 &#181;g/mL).</li>
	<li>Incubate on a shaker or rocker for 1 h at 37 &#176;C with gentle agitation throughout the incubation. Pipette the sample up and down 100 times.</li>
	<li>Add EDTA to achieve a sample volume with a 5 mM concentration. Pipette the sample up and down 100 times, and then vigorously pipette the sample up and down 100 times.</li>
	<li>Pass the sample through a 70 &#181;m cell strainer and collect it in a 50 mL or 15 mL tube.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge the collected cells at 300 x g for 5 min at 4 &#176;C. Remove the supernatant using a pipette and resuspend cells in 1 mL of red blood cell lysis buffer. Incubate for 1 min at room temperature.</li>
	<li>Neutralize the lysis buffer by adding 9 mL of cold 1X Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS).</li>
	<li>Centrifuge the collected cells again at 300 x g for 5 min at 4 &#176;C. Remove the supernatant using a pipette and resuspend cells in the desired buffer or media.</li>
</ol>
2. Semi-automated mechanical dissociation
<ol>
	<li>Place dissected tissue in cold cell culture media with 5% fetal bovine serum (FBS). 
	NOTE: This protocol is intended for cell isolation from solid tissues.</li>
	<li>Chop the tissue using sharp dissection scissors until tissue fragments are approximately 5 mm in any dimension. Transfer the chopped tissue to a C-tube and add 1 mL of media.</li>
	<li>Load the C-tube onto the device. Fit the tube holder plate (Supplementary Figure 1A) over the D-shaped tube bottoms.</li>
	<li>Secure the tubes to the motor plate by latching the tension arms into the acrylic plate (Supplementary Figure 3).</li>
	<li>Set a custom program: Forward, 30 s; Reverse, 10 s; Loop, 4 times.
	<ol>
		<li>Choose Custom Mode from the Main Menu by pressing the blue button.</li>
		<li>In the first custom mode menu, specify the duration of forward rotation to 30 s by pressing the red button until the value on the screen reads 30 s. Press the blue button to select this value and advance to the next menu screen.</li>
		<li>In the second custom mode menu, specify the duration of reverse rotation to 10 s by pressing the red button until the value on the screen reads 10 s. Press the blue button to select this value and advance to the next menu screen.</li>
		<li>In the third custom mode menu, specify the number of times to repeat the selections set in steps 2.5.2-2.5.3 by pressing the red button until the value on the screen reads 4X. Press the blue button to select this value and start the program. 
		NOTE: Custom programs are not stored in the device memory but can be programmed as one of the preset programs for faster operation (device programming instructions are provided in Supplementary File 1).</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Run the custom program at 200 rpm by adjusting the voltage control dial (Supplementary Figure 3) until the calculated rpm value in the bottom right corner of the LCD Screen reads 200 (Supplementary Figure 4).</li>
	<li>Add digestion enzymes in 4 mL&#160;media according to the tissue and cell types being isolated. 
	NOTE: For the presented experiments, use Collagenase 4 (1 mg/mL), Collagenase D (1 mg/mL), and DNase (40 &#181;g/mL).</li>
	<li>Load the C-tube onto the device and repeat steps 2.3-2.6 to run the following program at 200 rpm: Forward, 30 s; Reverse, 10 s; Loop, 4 times.</li>
	<li>Transfer the device with the tubes still loaded to a 37 &#176;C incubator for 45 min.</li>
	<li>Load the C-tube onto the device and repeat steps 2.3-2.6 to run the following program at 50 rpm: Forward, 270 s; Reverse, 30 s; Loop, 9 times.</li>
	<li>Add EDTA to achieve a 5 mM concentration in the sample.</li>
	<li>Load the C-tube onto the device and repeat steps 2.3-2.6 to run the following program at 100 rpm: Forward, 30 s; Reverse, 10 s; Loop, 2 times.</li>
	<li>Push the sample through a 70 &#181;m cell strainer and collect it in a 50 mL or 15 mL tube.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge the collected cells at 300 x g for 5 min at 4 &#176;C. Discard the supernatant using a pipette and resuspend cells in 1 mL of red blood cell lysis buffer. Incubate for 1 min at room temperature.</li>
	<li>Neutralize the lysis buffer with 9 mL of cold Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS).</li>
	<li>Centrifuge the collected cells again at 300 x g for 5 min at 4 &#176;C. Discard the supernatant using a pipette and resuspend cells in the desired buffer or media.</li>
</ol>
3. Data analysis
<ol>
	<li>Analyze the data using a graphing and statistical analysis software (see Table of Materials).</li>
	<li>Use unpaired Welch t-tests to compare pairs of samples or groups, with sample sizes n &#62; 4 mice representing 2 replicate experiments. 
	NOTE: Differences were considered statistically significant when (p &#60; 0.05). *p &#60; 0.05, **p &#60; 0.01, ***p &#60; 0.001, ****p &#60; 0.0001.</li>
</ol>

Semi-Automated Mechanical-Enzymatic Tissue Dissociation for Single-Cell Analysis

<ol>
	<li>Wiegleb, G., Reinhardt, S., Dahl, A., Posnien, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tissue+dissociation+for+single-cell+and+single-nuclei+RNA+sequencing+for+low+amounts+of+input+material.">Tissue dissociation for single-cell and single-nuclei RNA sequencing for low amounts of input material.</a> Frontiers in Zoology. 19 (1), 27 (2022).</li><li>Weiskirchen, S., Tag, C. G., Sauer-Lehnen, S., Tacke, F., Weiskirchen, R., Ritti&#233;, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Isolation+and+culture+of+primary+murine+hepatic+stellate+cells.">Isolation and culture of primary murine hepatic stellate cells.</a> Fibrosis: Methods and Protocols. , 7113-7118 (2017).</li><li>Wang, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+isolation+and+characterization+of+endothelial+cells+from+juvenile+nasopharyngeal+angiofibroma.">The isolation and characterization of endothelial cells from juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma.</a> Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica. 48 (9), 856-858 (2016).</li><li>Burja, B., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=An+optimized+tissue+dissociation+protocol+for+single-cell+rna+sequencing+analysis+of+fresh+and+cultured+human+skin+biopsies.">An optimized tissue dissociation protocol for single-cell rna sequencing analysis of fresh and cultured human skin biopsies.</a> Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. 10, 102022 (2022).</li><li>McBeth, C., Gutermuth, A., Ochs, J., Sharon, A., Sauer-Budge, A. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Automated+tissue+dissociation+for+rapid+extraction+of+viable+cells.">Automated tissue dissociation for rapid extraction of viable cells.</a> Procedia CIRP. 65, 88-92 (2017).</li><li>Welch, E. C., Yu, H., Barabino, G., Tapinos, N., Tripathi, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Electric-field+facilitated+rapid+and+efficient+dissociation+of+tissues+into+viable+single+cells.">Electric-field facilitated rapid and efficient dissociation of tissues into viable single cells.</a> Scientific Reports. 12 (1), 10728 (2022).</li><li>Maisel, K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pro-lymphangiogenic+VEGFR-3+signaling+modulates+memory+T+cell+responses+in+allergic+airway+inflammation.">Pro-lymphangiogenic VEGFR-3 signaling modulates memory T cell responses in allergic airway inflammation.</a> Mucosal Immunology. 14 (1), 144-151 (2021).</li><li>Karmakar, T., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+pilot+study+to+determine+the+utility+of+automated+tissue+dissociator+for+flowcytometry+based+evaluation+of+hematolymphoid+tumor+tissue+biopsies.">A pilot study to determine the utility of automated tissue dissociator for flowcytometry based evaluation of hematolymphoid tumor tissue biopsies.</a> Indian Journal of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. 38 (2), 403-410 (2022).</li><li>Montanari, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Automated-mechanical+procedure+compared+to+gentle+enzymatic+tissue+dissociation+in+cell+function+studies.">Automated-mechanical procedure compared to gentle enzymatic tissue dissociation in cell function studies.</a> Biomolecules. 12 (5), 701 (2022).</li><li>Genova, A., Dix, O., Saefan, A., Thakur, M., Hassan, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Carpal+tunnel+syndrome:+a+review+of+literature.">Carpal tunnel syndrome: a review of literature.</a> Cureus. 12 (3), e7333 (2020).</li></ol>

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

This device was designed for easy assembly in the&#160;research setting to provide single-cell suspensions from whole tissues for subsequent single-cell analysis. The features, while basic, are sufficient to meet the needs of researchers in academic settings and beyond. A key benefit of using this device is its potential to improve the preparation of single-cell suspensions by reducing variability. Additionally, the ability to process 12+ samples simultaneously could enhance sample-to-sample consistency, which may be aff...

Single-cell analysis has rapidly become crucial for new biomedical discoveries, whether for applications such as flow cytometry, identifying different cell types, single-cell sequencing, or for identifying genomic or transcriptomic variations between cells1. Performing such cell isolations from tissues of interest&#160;requires mincing dissected tissues and pushing them through a fine cell strainer to filter out connective tissue from the desired cells (Figure 1A). Isolating adherent cell types, such as dendritic cells or macrophages, or cells from particularly fibrous tissues, requires additional mechanical or enzymatic separation steps2,3,4. This process is generally done manually, making it highly time-consuming and prone to user variability when assessing cell yields and sample viability. Therefore, it is crucial to introduce customizable options for automated tissue dissociation. While some attempts have been made to design such systems, the existing options are not always readily accessible, particularly in academic labs and lower-resource settings, largely due to the cost-prohibitive nature of these devices5. Furthermore, these devices are not always customizable to the individual needs of a research group6.
Here, a tissue dissociator device was designed to automate the digestion of whole tissues or tissue pieces into single-cell suspensions with the aid of digestive enzymes and mechanical disruption. This device can be easily assembled in the lab, placed into heating or cooling chambers for temperature regulation, customized for the required number of tissues to dissociate, and programmed with the desired dissociation protocols. The broad use of this device could significantly improve the reproducibility of cell extraction protocols and provide a time-saving alternative to manual dissociation.
The design allows for the simultaneous digestion of up to 12 tissues through an automated process. The device is composed of 12 individual motors wired in parallel and powered by a standard wall plug through an AC/DC adapter with an adjustable voltage dial to control the rotation/speed of the motors. The motors turn a hex bolt that fits snugly into the top of the C-tubes. The C-tubes are held in place by downward tension on an acrylic plate that latches on either side to the top plate where the motors are secured (Figure 1B). Because the motors are wired in parallel, their speed at any given voltage should not vary much, but the load (the number of C-tubes mounted on the device) will affect speed even when the voltage is kept constant. To measure rotations per minute (rpm), a tachometer has been incorporated using a hall effect sensor and a fixed magnet on one of the motor shafts (Supplementary Figure 1). The CAD files for building motor arrays are provided in Supplementary Coding File 1. Also included is a programmable switch to reverse the direction of rotation by reversing the positive/negative charges delivered to the motors. All of these features are integrated using coded software (Arduino IDE software, see Table of Materials) on an Arduino Nano (Supplementary Coding File 2). Using connected buttons and an LCD panel (Supplementary Figure 2), it is possible to create and run saved and custom protocols, automatically reverse the rotational direction at specified times of a protocol, adjust speed using the voltage (Supplementary Figure 3), and display the current motor speed and time left to complete a programmed protocol (Supplementary Figure 4).
For the present study, single-cell suspensions were prepared using both mechanical-enzymatic tissue dissociation with this device and manual-enzymatic tissue dissociation to determine differences, if any, in cells recovered for downstream applications. The cell preparations were evaluated based on total cell yields per tissue and&#160;percent cell viability. Flow&#160;cytometry was used to compare potential differences in surface marker expression. Data were analyzed using graphing and statistical analysis software. Unpaired Welch t-tests were used to compare pairs of samples or groups, with sample sizes n &#62; 4 mice representing 2 replicate experiments. Detailed instructions for the fabrication and assembly of this device can be found in Supplementary File 1. Materials needed for this protocol are listed in the Table of Materials.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>&#188; inch acrylic sheet&#160; 12&#34; x 24&#34;</td>
			<td>Acrylic Mega Store</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>&#189; inch acrylic sheet 12&#34; x 12&#34;</td>
			<td>SimbaLux</td>
			<td>SL-AS13-12x12</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>12 G stainless steel wire (for tension arms)</td>
			<td>Everbilt</td>
			<td>1000847413</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>16 G electrical wire (stranded)</td>
			<td>Best Connections</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2 x 3 mm magnet&#160;&#160;</td>
			<td>SU-CRO0587</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2-channel relay board (to reverse polarity of current to motors)</td>
			<td>AEDIKO</td>
			<td>AE06233</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>37 mm Diameter DC Motors (12 V, 200 rpm) x 12</td>
			<td>Greartisan</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td>Rated Torque: 2.2 Kg.cm 
			Reduction Ratio: 1:22 
			Rated Current: 0.1 A 
			D Shaped Output Shaft Size: 6 x 14mm (0.24&#34; x 0.55&#34;) (D x L) 
			Gearbox Size: 37 x 25 mm (1.46&#34; x 0.98&#34;) (D x L) 
			Motor Size: 36.2 x 33.3 mm (1.43&#34; x 1.31&#34;) (D x L) 
			Mounting Hole Size: M3 (not included)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>AC/C Power Adapter with variable voltage controller&#160;&#160; (5 Amps, 3-12 volts)</td>
			<td>Mo-gu</td>
			<td>J19091-2-MG-US</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>AC-DC 5 V 1 A Precision buck converter step down transformer</td>
			<td>Walfront</td>
			<td>1A</td>
			<td>(power adapter for powering Arduino Nano)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Arduino Nano&#160;&#160; (Lafvin)</td>
			<td>LAFVIN</td>
			<td>8541582500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Buttons&#160;</td>
			<td>Awpeye</td>
			<td>Push-button</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>C57BL6/J mice&#160;</td>
			<td>Jackson Laboratory</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Collagenase 4</td>
			<td>Worthington</td>
			<td>CLS4 LS004188</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Collagenase D</td>
			<td>Roche</td>
			<td>11088866001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DMEM (Dulbecco&#39;s Modified Eagle Medium)</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>10-013-CV</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DNAse</td>
			<td>Roche</td>
			<td>11284932001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Double sided foam tape</td>
			<td>SANKA</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Double Sided prototyping circuit board</td>
			<td>deyue</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EDTA</td>
			<td>Sigma- Aldrich</td>
			<td>E7889</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Electrical solder and soldering iron</td>
			<td>LDK</td>
			<td>1002P</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Electrical Tape</td>
			<td>3M</td>
			<td>03429NA</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FBS (Fetal Bovine Serum)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>16140089</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>gentleMACS C Tubes</td>
			<td>Miltenyi</td>
			<td>130-093-237</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Graphpad Prism</td>
			<td>GraphPad, La Jolla, CA</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Graphing and statistical analysis software</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hall effect sensor Dimensions : 0.79 x 0.79x 0.39 inches</td>
			<td>SunFounder</td>
			<td>43237-2</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hex Coupler 6 mm Bore Motor Brass x 2 x 12</td>
			<td>Uxcell</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hex head bolts (M4-.70 X 12 Hex Head Cap Screw) x 12</td>
			<td>FAS</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Jumper wires (for Arduino Nano)</td>
			<td>ELEGOO</td>
			<td>EL-CP-004</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>LCD screen</td>
			<td>JANSANE</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>M3 Hex Socket Head Cap Screws x 12</td>
			<td>Shenzhen 
			Baishichuangyou 
			Technology co.Ltd</td>
			<td>310luosditaozhuang</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>M3 Stainless SteelMachine screws Flat Head Hex Socket Cap Screws (30 mm) x 36</td>
			<td>Still Awake</td>
			<td>a52400001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Quick disconnect terminal connectors</td>
			<td>IEUYO</td>
			<td>22010064</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Red Blood Cell Lysis Buffer (10x)</td>
			<td>Cell Signaling</td>
			<td>46232</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Terminal adapter shield Expansion board for Arduino Nano&#160; 12&#34; x 24&#34;</td>
			<td>Shenzhen 
			Weiyapuhua 
			Technology</td>
			<td>60-026-3</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

mechanical dissociation of tissues for single cell analysis using a motorized device

Being able to isolate and prepare single cells for the analysis of tissue samples has rapidly become crucial for new biomedical discoveries and research. Manual protocols for single-cell isolations are highly time-consuming and prone to user variability. Automated mechanical protocols are able to reduce processing time and sample variability but aren't easily accessible or cost-effective in lower-resourced research settings. The device described here was designed for semi-automated tissue dissociation using commercially available materials as a low-cost alternative for academic laboratories. Instructions to fabricate, assemble, and operate the device design have been provided. The dissociation protocol reliably produces single-cell suspensions with comparable cell yields and sample viability to manual preparations across multiple mouse tissues. The protocol provides the ability to process up to 12 tissue samples simultaneously per device, making studies requiring large sample sizes more manageable. The accompanying software also allows for customization of the device protocol to accommodate varying tissues and experimental constraints.

Author Spotlight: Advancements in Nanoparticle Technology for Drug Delivery and Immunotherapy

Mechanical Dissociation of Tissues for Single Cell Analysis Using a Motorized Device

This semi-automated mechanical protocol can replicate results from experiments in which cells were processed manually. Cell suspensions prepared using this device and by manual dissociation show comparable cell yields and sample viability across mouse lung, kidney, and heart tissues (Figure 2A,B). Populations of immune cells, such as T cells and dendritic cells, were not significantly affected by a difference in isolation protocol (Figure 2C). S...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Mechanical Dissociation of Tissues for Single Cell Analysis Using a Motorized Device at JoVE.com

A general protocol for the combined enzymatic and semi-automated mechanical dissociation of tissues to generate single-cell suspensions for downstream analyses, such as flow cytometry, is provided. Instructions for the fabrication, assembly, and operation of the low-cost mechanical device developed for this protocol are included.

Being able to isolate and prepare single cells for the analysis of tissue samples has rapidly become crucial for new biomedical discoveries and research. ...

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Bioengineering

741 Views.  University of Maryland. A general protocol for the combined enzymatic and semi-automated mechanical dissociation of tissues to generate single-cell suspensions for downstream analyses, such as flow cytometry, is provided. Instructions for the fabrication, assembly, and operation of the low-cost mechanical device developed for this protocol are included.