(69b) An Improved in Vitro Model for the Study of Cancer Cell Adhesion to Endothelial Cells Using Micropatterned Surfaces

Adhesion of cancer cells to the endothelial lining of blood vessels is an integral step in metastasis.  Because of shear stress produced by blood flow, the endothelium undergoes a distinct morphological change resulting in a more elongated and unidirectional morphology.  It has recently been suggested that this morphology can affect surface expression, in turn affecting cell-cell binding to the endothelium. In vitro methods of studying cancer cell adhesion to endothelial cells include flow models and static well-plate cultures. Static well-plate cultures result in a cobblestone morphology and more random orientation than what is observed in vivo.   While flow adapted endothelial cells are more representative of physiological conditions, flow systems can take up to 24 hours to obtain a valid morphology.  In this study, the use of micropatterned surfaces to statically culture human vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with desired morphology was investigated. The HUVECs were grown on glass slides containing grooves of 0.5 mm width and depth created using UV lithography.  Both morphology and surface molecule expression of these cells were compared to cells grown statically and in a flow-adapted system.   HUVECs cultured on micropatterned grooves demonstrated the desired morphology which was proved statistically more elongated and unidirectional than the control.