Two-Layer Scaffold Platforms for Drug Screening of Nasopharyngeal Epithelial Cells

A two-layer scaffold platform was designed for drug screening without using fluorescence staining to examine the effectiveness of the tested compounds. Nasopharyngeal epithelial (NP460) cells were used in this work. Typically, NP460 cells could not squeeze into the $10\ \mu \mathrm{m}$ narrow trenches but preferred to migrate on the top ridges. However, NP460 cells could migrate into $10\ \mu \mathrm{m}$ wide trenches after being stimulated by transforming growth factor beta-1 ( $\text{TGF}-\beta 1$ ) as the cells became more active. This double-layer scaffold platform served as a drug screening device by tracking the number of cells migrated into narrow trenches after drug treatment to test and monitor the effectiveness of a compound in a biomimetic microenvironment.