(93ac) Using Whole Cell-Based Biosensors as a Screening Method for Cancer

All cells are held together by so called tight junction molecules, which keep them ordered and layered correctly. Certain ?messenger proteins' in the body, cytokines, disrupt these molecules causing cells layers to become permeable or even mobile. These cytokines have been observed at high concentrations in the blood of cancer patients. Thus a screening method for cancer can be found by utilizing the effects of these cytokines in a method that quantifies the concentration by measuring the permeability of cells. In this study cellulose triacetate (CTA) membranes were seeded with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). An ion selective electrode (ISE) using this seeded membrane measured concentration gradients of potassium. With a confluent monolayer of HUVECs on the membrane, ion transport is essentially shut off, and thus no current will flow. However when subjected to cytokines, in this study hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), the cells and thus the membrane were expected to become more permeable to ions and give a larger ISE reading. Using these data a calibration curve can be built to, indirectly, quantify the concentration of HGF in a blood sample. Because HGF is present in cancer patients, this curve can be used to screen for cancer. The data found in this preliminary study indicate that HGF does not affect HUVECs as much as other cytokines, for instance VEGF.

Support for this research was provided by an NSF/REU grant.