A numerical study on tumor-on-chip performance and its optimization for nanodrug-based combination therapy.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Biology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Microfluidic devices like tumor-on-a-chip (ToC) are crucial for multi-drug cancer therapies.
• Experimental analysis of ToC performance is complex and often insufficient.

Purpose of the Study:

• To perform numerical simulations to understand and optimize ToC performance for nanodrug delivery.
• To develop an optimized ToC design for simultaneous, personalized nanodrug combination therapy.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations based on established equations and fluid-structure interaction.
• Analysis of operational parameters including cell injection, flow rate, inlets, viscosity, and concentration.
• Optimization of ToC architecture for enhanced drug delivery and cell distribution.

Main Results:

• Identified key operational parameters influencing shear stress and cell distribution.
• Demonstrated that triple inlets improve cell distribution uniformity compared to single or double inlets.
• Developed an optimized ToC design enabling simultaneous multi-nanodrug delivery and uniform spheroid generation.

Conclusions:

• Numerical simulations are effective for visualizing and optimizing ToC performance.
• The novel ToC design facilitates personalized nanodrug combination therapy.
• Optimized ToC enhances uniform cell distribution and complete medium exchange for improved cancer treatment.