Proliferation and migration of tumor cells in tapered channels

Abstract Tumor cells depict two deviant tendencies; over-proliferation and vigorous migration. A tapered channel de-vice is designed and fabricated for in vitro studies. We report inhibited proliferation and migration of human glioblastoma (hGBM) cells when exposed to an aptamer that is known to bind epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR). The device is integrated with controlled ambient and microscope for pro-viding real-time and quantitative characterization of the tumor cell behavior. The results show that hGBM cells loose prolif-eration and motility when exposed to the anti-EGFR aptamer. The aptamer directly inhibits and blocks EGF-induced EGFR phosphorylation. This also reduces the ability of cells to remodel their internal structure for invasion through narrow constrictions. This provides a framework for possible studies on efficacy of other inhibiting molecules