# Microfluidic Chip for the Analysis of Cell-Surface Proteins

> **NIH NIH R01** · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · 2021 · $333,952

## Abstract

Cell-surface proteins play a major role in cell signaling, inter-cellular communication, and cell-cell, pathogen and
immune recognition events. Their value as markers indicative of disease or attractive targets for therapeutic
interventions has been long recognized. Miniaturized devices have emerged as useful platforms for studying a
variety of intra and extra-cellular signaling processes, the read-out relying on live-cell imaging or
immunocytochemistry, and, therefore, on the availability of high-specificity antibodies and/or the need for
fluorescent reporters. Proteomic technologies are capable of delivering comprehensive data from whole-cell
cultures, but information related to protein localization, abundance, and the presence of posttranslational
modifications, protein isoforms or protein mutations is often lost.
To address these limitations, the objective of this proposal is to develop the first platform that will combine the
cell-handling capabilities of microfluidics with the power of mass spectrometry (MS) detection to advance a
technology that can track changes in the cell-surface proteome in response to various stimuli. Aim 1 will focus on
the development of a lab-on-a-chip platform that will enable cell capture, stimulation, enzymatic release of cell-
surface proteins, enzymatic digestion and unambiguous MS-based identification of protein receptors and antigens,
including their isoforms and possible mutated sequences. Aim 2 will focus on the optimization of the device for
achieving optimal stimulation conditions of cells loaded on the chip, achieving the necessary detection limits for
cell-surface receptor proteins, and developing a quantitative approach for assessing changes in the abundance
of these receptors. Aim 3 will focus on demonstrating the microfluidic device for the identification of cell-surface
processes that are involved in GPCR transactivation of EGFR signaling, and the initiation of cell cycle processes
that support the proliferation of Her2+ cancer cells. Relevance to human health. The proposed microfluidic
technology will facilitate the observation of receptor activation/transactivation and the remodeling of the cell-
surface proteome to reveal new cell signal initiation mechanisms and prospects for developing treatment
strategies that work in synergy with conventional drug targeting. It will also enable the identification of cell-surface
antigens with biomarker potential.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10242173
- **Project number:** 5R01GM121920-05
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** Maria Iuliana Lazar
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $333,952
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10242173

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10242173, Microfluidic Chip for the Analysis of Cell-Surface Proteins (5R01GM121920-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10242173. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*