Innovations in studying in vivo cell behavior and pharmacology in complex tissues – microvascular endothelial cells in the spotlight

Elise Langenkamp, Jan A. A. M. Kamps, Michal Mrug, Elisabeth Verpoorte, Yilmaz Niyaz, Peter Horvatovich, Rainer Bischoff, Harry Struijker-Boudier, Grietje Molema

Many studies on the molecular control underlying normal cell behavior and cellular responses to disease stimuli and pharmacological intervention are conducted in single-cell culture systems, while the read-out of cellular engagement in disease and responsiveness to drugs in vivo is often based on overall tissue responses. As the majority of drugs under development aim to specifically interact with molecular targets in subsets of cells in complex tissues, this approach poses a major experimental discrepancy that prevents successful development of new therapeutics. In this review, we address the shortcomings of the use of artificial (single) cell systems and of whole tissue analyses in creating a better understanding of cell engagement in disease and of the true effects of drugs. We focus on microvascular endothelial cells that actively engage in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes. We propose a new strategy in which in vivo molecular control of cells is studied directly in the diseased endothelium instead of at a (far) distance from the site where drugs have to act, thereby accounting for tissue-controlled cell responses. The strategy uses laser microdissection-based enrichment of microvascular endothelium which, when combined with transcriptome and (phospho)proteome analyses, provides a factual view on their status in their complex microenvironment. Combining this with miniaturized sample handling using microfluidic devices enables handling the minute sample input that results from this strategy. The multidisciplinary approach proposed will enable compartmentalized analysis of cell behavior and drug effects in complex tissue to become widely implemented in daily biomedical research and drug development practice.