Gas Mixer for Hypoxic Atmosphere – University Sydney

HYPOXIC ATMOSPHERE

OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

MEDICAL STUDIES

TARGET OF THE PROJECT

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Colorectal Carcinoma Cells

Description of the Application.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects a significant proportion of the population and is linked to increased rates of cancer development and worse cancer outcome. OSA is characterized by nocturnal intermittent hypoxia and animal models of OSA-like intermittent hypoxia show increased tumor growth & metastasis. Advanced tumors typically have regions of chronic hypoxia, activating the transcription factor, HIF-1, which controls the expression of genes involved in cancer progression. Rapid intermittent hypoxia from OSA has been proposed to increase HIF-1 activity and this may occur in tumors. We have built a cell-based model of physiological OSA tissue oxygenation in order to study the effects of intermittent hypoxia in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells. We found that HIF-1 increases following intermittent hypoxia and that the expression of HIF-target genes increases, including those involved in glycolysis, the hypoxic pathway and extracellular matrix remodeling. Expression of these genes acts as a ‘hypoxic’ signature which is associated with a worse prognosis. The total dose of hypoxia determined the magnitude of change in the hypoxic signature rather than the frequency or duration of hypoxia-reoxygenation cycles per se.

READ THE SCIENTIFIC PAPERS.

Scientific Paper 1: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Activates HIF-1 in a Hypoxia Dose-Dependent Manner in HCT116 Colorectal Carcinoma Cells.

Scientific Paper 2: A Cell Culture Model that Mimics Physiological Tissue Oxygenation Using Oxygen-permeable Membranes

Benefits and Savings.

A traditional method would require a gas tank of custom gas mixes (N2, CO2, O2) with timers and solenoid valves. Would have been quite difficult to set up compared to the easier MCQ Gas Mixers’ system requirements.

The University of Sydney was seeking a solution for their study of Cell culture and intermittent hypoxia (low oxygen). Thanks to our instruments they can now customize a timed protocol of different periods of different oxygen levels to test on their cancer cells grown in culture.

The Gas Mixer makes cancer research into the effects of low oxygen (tumor hypoxia) much easier and with a less complicated equipment setup.

▼ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY

The University of Sydney (informally USYD, Sydney, Sydney Uni) is an Australian public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is Australia’s first university and is regarded as one of the world’s leading universities. The university is colloquially known as one of Australia’s sandstone universities. Its campus is ranked in the top 10 of the world’s most beautiful universities by the British Daily Telegraph and The Huffington Post, spreading across the inner-city suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington. The university comprises nine faculties and university schools, through which it offers bachelor, master and doctoral degrees.
In 2018-19, the QS World University Rankings ranked Sydney as one of the world’s top 25 most reputable universities, and its graduates as the top 5 most employable in the world and first in Australia.

Ref: Wikipedia

▼MAIN BENEFITS