Biology subjects

Juang, T. D.

Publications and source records attributed to Juang, T. D..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Exclusive liquid repellency isolation (ELRi) microliter scale isolation technique unmasks T-cell migration defects to CCL21 in pediatric asthma

Exclusive Liquid Repellency Isolation (ELRi) is a novel, chip-free platform designed for efficient microscale immune cell isolation. Leveraging the inherent exclusive liquid repellency (ELR) properties of polypropylene tubes with an oil overlay, ELRi ensures that small sample volumes, as low as 8 L, have no contact with container walls, preventing cell loss. Here we describe ELRi and demonstrate magnetic bead-based isolation of diverse immune cells, including T cells, and monocytes, from whole blood. The platforms utility is highlighted in its application to pediatric asthma research, where sample volume is highly restricted. It has been reported that the T cell homing receptor CCR7 is downregulated in cells from asthmatic patients, but a direct functional link to impaired cell migration remains unconfirmed (1, 2). Using ELRi-isolated cells, we provide the first functional evidence that T cells from asthmatic children exhibit significantly impaired chemotaxis toward the CCR7 ligand, CCL21. By simplifying RBC depletion and enabling such functional assays alongside RNA sequencing from the same tiny sample, ELRi overcomes the limitations of large-volume flow cytometry or cell-specific sorting methods. Easily integrated into lab workflows and scalable for various needs, ELRi facilitates more frequent, minimally invasive, and functionally informative immune profiling of restricted volume samples.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2023

Liquid-liquid interface microchannels with tunable mechanical properties mimic tissue deformations during neutrophil interstitial migration in vivo

Leukocytes navigate through interstitial spaces resulting in deformation of both the motile leukocytes and surrounding cells. Creating an in vitro system that models the deformable cellular environment encountered in vivo has been challenging. Here, we engineer microchannels with a liquid-liquid interface that exerts confining pressures (200-3000 Pa) similar to cells in tissues, and, thus, is deformable by cell generated forces. Consequently, the balance between migratory cell-generated and interfacial pressures determines the degree of confinement. Pioneer cells that first contact the interfacial barrier require greater deformation forces to forge a path for migration, and as a result migrate slower than trailing cells. Critically, resistive pressures are tunable by controlling the curvature of the liquid interface, which regulates motility. By granting cells autonomy in determining their confinement, and tuning environmental resistance, interfacial deformations are made to match those of surrounding cells in vivo during interstitial neutrophil migration in a larval zebrafish model. We discover that, in this context, neutrophils employ a bleb-based mechanism of force generation to deform a barrier exerting cell-scale confining pressures. Significance StatementImmune cells sense physical forces provided by surrounding cellular tissues to regulate their motility. Here, we introduce the use of liquid-liquid interfaces to model forces exerted by surrounding cells during interstitial motility in vivo. Neutrophils interacting with the interface employ a bleb-based mechanism of force generation to induce interfacial deformation. This work furthers our understanding of the mechanisms employed by immune cells to traverse through deformable barriers akin to cells in the body, and introduces a pioneering technology enabling the study of cell interaction with soft materials.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2023

A high-throughput nematode sensory assay reveals an inhibitory effect of ivermectin on parasite gustation

Sensory pathways first elucidated in Caenorhabditis elegans are conserved across free-living and parasitic nematodes, even though each species responds to a diverse array of compounds. Most nematode sensory assays are performed by tallying observations of worm behavior on two-dimensional planes using agarose plates. These assays have been successful in the study of volatile sensation but are poorly suited for investigation of water-soluble gustation or parasitic nematodes without a free-living stage. In contrast, gustatory assays tend to be tedious, often limited to the manipulation of a single individual at a time. We have designed a nematode sensory assay using a microfluidics device that allows for the study of gustation in a 96-well, three-dimensional environment. This device is suited for free-living worms and parasitic worms that spend their lives in an aqueous environment, and we have used it to show that ivermectin inhibits the gustatory ability of vector-borne parasitic nematodes.

molecular biology↗