Development of Micro-Scale Assays of Mammary Stem and Progenitor Cells

摘要

This portion of the work proposed focused on employing and validating microtechnology for in vitro studies of primary mammary gland cell characteristics. Specific attention has been paid to developing more quantitative methods for analyzing microfluidic cell cultures using In Channel Westerns. Also, understanding how the microfluidic culture platform differs from traditional macro-scale techniques is critical and was explored in more depth than previously done. By thoroughly understanding how this culture platform affects the cellular baseline first, better and more efficient data collection can be performed, thus requiring fewer primary cells.