Dr. Chan Lab Receives NIH S10 Instrumentation Grant

Dr. Charles Chan and his lab have received a grant from the NIH S10 Instrumentation Programs allowing the purchase of a state-of-the-art microfluidics-based single cell or cell-cluster sorter and dispenser. According to Chan, there are only a couple of these machines in the country and none located on the west coast.

The sorter enables the specific isolation of fragile cells and their attached microenvironments. This is not possible using conventional FACS flow cytometers.

"Sorting and dispensing of cell clusters is an especially important new capability, as cluster sorting will allow Stanford investigators to study cellular interactions in their natural environment as aggregates of cells which cannot be achieved with the use of dissociated single cells removed from their microenvironment that are currently used," said Chan. "Understanding how regenerative cells interact with one another is key for developing new ways to accelerate wound healing and stem-cell mediated regeneration and rejuvenation of aged and diseased tissues."

A number of investigators in Surgery, Immunology, and the Stem Cell Institute have already begun using the instrument for a variety of studies, including:

• Characterizing the bone marrow niches of hematopoietic stem cells,
• Determining the mechanisms of engraftment of neural stem cells
• Analyzing how over-the-counter medications can change the immune microenvironment in a mouse model of COVID-19 induced ARDS
• Understanding the interplay of different cell types and viral antigens including flu and SARS in complex atherosclerotic lesions
• Understanding tumor micro-environments
• Understanding how resident and infiltrating immune and skin cells affect wound healing, and
• Interrogating the mechanisms behind thymocyte development.

Dr. Chan is an assistant professor in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.