“Tumor on a chip”: a physiological mimicking method for personalized therapy in cancer

It is well established that tumors display substantial heterogeneity in their type, site, and stage. Due to the many complexities of cancer, the development of reliable tumor tissue culture models that can mimic a range of malignancy behaviors more accurately would be of great value to researchers. Such models can be clinically relevant as predictive drug-performance tools, enabling doctors to prescribe the most effective treatment for each individual without having to engage in trial and error.

Current tumor culture models do not reproduce the complexity observed in the three-dimensional (3D) tissue architecture of living organs or incorporate mechanical forces that can substantially influence cancer cell behavior.

A promising approach to modeling cancer is based on the development of microfluidic chips that enable the recapitulation of tissue–tissue interfaces and the physiologically relevant physical microenvironment of cancers, while sustaining perfusion in vitro.

My research is focused on developing a 3D cancer model that mimics the tumor and its microenvironment. I am working on developing a functional “tumor on a chip” model comprised of tumor cells extracted from individual patients. These cells are assembled into spheroids (3D-cell aggregates) functioning as an ex vivo tumor model so that different therapies can be tried on them. Potentially, these can predict the most effective treatment prior to administration to the patient. In this way, a drug’s success in eradicating a patient’s tumor may be predicted in a cost-effective manner and also increase treatment efficiency.