Automated microinjection boosts speed and consistency in zebrafish xenografts, enabling wider use in cancer research and diagnostics.
Yi Ding, Kees-Jan van der Kolk, Wietske van der Ent, Michele Scotto di Mase, Saskia Kowald, Jenny Huizing, Jana M. Vidal Teuton, Gunja Mishra, Maxime Kempers, Rusul Almter, Sandra Kunz, Laurine Munier, Carl Koschmann, Sebastian M. Waszak, Vincenzo Di Donato, Sylvia Dyballa, Peter Ten Dijke, Camila Vicencio Esguerra, Lasse D. Jensen & Jan de Sonneville
ABSTRACT
Zebrafish xenograft models are increasingly recognized for predicting patient responses to cancer therapeutics, suggesting their potential as clinical diagnostic tools. However, precise microinjection of cancer cells into numerous small and fragile zebrafish larvae is laborious, requires extensive training for new operators, and often yields variable results, limiting their clinical and drug discovery applications. To address these challenges, we have designed, built, and validated an automated microinjection robot. The robot performs injections into the vasculature, perivitelline space, and hindbrain ventricle in both fully automated and semi-automated modes. Combined results demonstrate an average injection success rate of approximately 60% and larvae survival exceeding 70%, comparable to manual methods, with the fully automated mode being twice as fast. This automation reduces the need for extensive personnel training while enhancing reproducibility, efficiency, and accuracy, paving the way for more extensive use of zebrafish xenograft models in drug discovery and patient diagnostics.
Keywords
zebrafish xenograft models, automated microinjection, cancer therapeutics, patient response prediction, drug discovery, clinical diagnostics, microinjection robot
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