Screening System for miRNAs that Regulate Cancer Cell Viability and Chemosensitivity

Screening technologies are frequently used to explore biological questions and to identify potential new treatments for cancer and other diseases. Massive small molecule screens have given way to genome-wide expression or knockdown studies in an effort to better understand the molecular pathways involved in tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis. More recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have become a focus of inquiry as researchers are trying to determine what role these previously disregarded molecules have in gene regulation and how changes in their expression can promote or inhibit cancer growth. This application note describes a system that can automate all the steps required for the transfection of a miRNA mimic library into a cancer cell line, a subsequent compound treatment, and the acquisition and analysis of images to measure cell toxicity.