The present invention describes an integrated apparatus that enables identification of migratory cells directly from a specimen. The apparatus only requires a small number of cells to perform an assay and includes novel topographic features which can reliably differentiate between migratory and non-migratory cell populations in a sample. Both the spontaneous and chemotactic migration of cancer cells may be measured to distinguish between subpopulations within a tumor sample. The migratory cells identified using the apparatus and methods of the present invention may be separated and further analyzed to distinguish factors promoting metastasis within the population. Cells in the apparatus can be treated with chemotherapeutic or other agents to determine drug strategies to most strongly inhibit migration. The use of optically transparent materials in some embodiments allows a wide range of imaging techniques to be used for in situ imaging of migratory and non-migratory cells in the apparatus. The apparatus and methods of the present invention are useful for predicting the metastatic propensity of tumor cells and selecting optimal drugs for personalized therapies.

Disclosed is a method for detecting chemotaxis of neutrophil, including: mixing a blood sample and an equal volume of glucose, mixing, and standing; taking a supernatant of the blood sample after standing into a centrifuge tube, and centrifuging; adding 1× calcium and magnesium ion-free HBSS into a centrifuged blood sample to re-suspend cell aggregates at bottom; uniformly blowing and dispersing a re-suspended bottom cell aggregates, and slowly adding a polysucrose solution from the bottom of the centrifuge tube to perform density gradient centrifuging treatment; dividing a density gradient centrifuged solution into three layers, pipetting a clear liquid at an upper layer and a PBMC layer at a middle layer to obtain cell aggregates at a bottom layer; lysing erythrocytes in the cell aggregates, then successively adding 2× calcium and magnesium ion-free HBSS and 1× calcium and magnesium ion-free HBSS, mixing, and centrifuging again to obtain neutrophils.

Among the various aspects of the present disclosure is the provision of a hydrogel-based substrate comprising an aldehyde-containing component, such as N-ethanal acrylamide. The hydrogel component allows for functionalization of a hydrogel through conjugation of proteins (e.g., collagen) to the hydrogel in the absence of a post hoc crosslinking component.

The present invention relates to a composition for inhibiting the growth of cancer stem cells, and a use thereof. A WDR34 inhibitor of the present invention inhibits the conversion of cancer cells into cancer stem cells and exhibits activity of inhibiting self-renewal, invasion, and migration of cancer stem cells, and thus can be effectively used as a cancer cell growth or metastasis inhibitor or a cancer stem cell growth inhibitor.

The present invention describes methods for quantifying and analyzing cell migration and drug screening. Such methods include a gel (or a hydrogel) comprising a polymer, and cells that forms an oxygen gradient within the gel by controlling the balance of the diffusion of oxygen through the top of the gel and by the consumption of oxygen uptake by the cells. The migration of the cells is determined while the cells are grown in the gel of the present invention.

The present invention is directed to a method of measuring cell migration by measuring the invasion ratio of cells incubated on a pillar array inserted into a well structure, the method including steps of: preparing a pillar array having a plurality of micropillars and a well structure having a plurality of microwells into which the plurality of micropillars is insertable, respectively; forming cell spheroids by incubating cells in an extracellular matrix attached to the end contact surfaces of the micropillars; allowing the cells contained in the cell spheroids to invade the end contact surfaces; staining and scanning the cell spheroids, the cells contained in the cell spheroids, and the cells that invaded the end contact surfaces; and calculating the invasion ratio of cells by the following equation through a fluorescence image of the scanned cells:

[00001]$\begin{array}{cc}\mathrm{Invasion}\mathrm{Ratio}=\frac{\mathrm{Invasion}\mathrm{cell}\mathrm{area}}{\mathrm{Total}\mathrm{cell}\mathrm{area}}=\frac{A_{\mathrm{Total}}-A_{\mathrm{spheroid}}}{A_{\mathrm{Total}}}& \left[\mathrm{Equation}\right]\end{array}$

wherein A.sub.total represents the total cell area, and A.sub.spheroid represents the spheroid area.

The present invention provides for methods for identifying modulators of extracellular matrix (ECM) movement towards a site requiring deposition of ECM. Such modulators can be applied for use in a method for the modulation of ECM movement towards a site requiring deposition of ECM, e.g. a wound, thereby allowing treatment of a condition involving ECM deposition. Since the modulator may either be an inhibitor or promoter, either excessive or insufficient ECM deposition could be dealt with by the means and methods of the present invention.

Provided are cortical interneurons and other neuronal cells and in vitro methods for producing such cortical interneurons and other neuronal cells by the directed differentiation of stem cells and neuronal progenitor cells. The present disclosure relates to novel methods of in vitro differentiation of stem cells and neural progenitor cells to produce several type neuronal cells and their precursor cells, including cortical interneurons, hypothalamic neurons and pre-optic cholinergic neurons. The present disclose describes the derivation of these cells via inhibiting SMAD and Wnt signaling pathways and activating SHH signaling pathway. The present disclosure relates to the novel discovery that the timing and duration of SHH activation can be harnessed to direct controlled differentiation of neural progenitor cells into either cortical interneurons, hypothalamic neurons or pre-optic cholinergic neurons. The present disclosure also relates to compositions of cortical interneurons, hypothalamic neurons or pre-optic cholinergic neurons, and their precursors, that are highly enriched and can be used in variety of application. These cells can be used therapeutically to treat neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders, and can be used for disease modeling and drug screening.

The present disclosure is directed to methods of screening a compound for modulating activity at a TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) binding site on a cysteine-rich domain (CRD) of fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14). The present disclosure also provides heterocyclic compounds and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof and methods for the prevention, treatment, and amelioration of cell proliferative disorders with these compounds.

A method of assaying wound healing can include: growing cells on the matrix in the first flow channel; introducing an agent that removes the matrix from the junction; introducing a matrix material into the second flow channel so as to form the second matrix in the second flow channel and junction; and detecting cellular migration into the junction onto the second matrix. The agent that removes the matrix can include a biomolecule or chemical agent. The method can include removing cells in the matrix in the junction before introducing the matrix material into the second flow channel. A bioactive agent can be introduced into the junction to determine if it modulates cellular migration and/or clot formation into the intersection openings of tissue and vascular channels.