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Author Spotlight: Creating Human Vascularized Micro-Tumors as Models for Translational Cancer Research
Published on: September 15, 2023
Recent Advances of Organ-on-a-Chip in Cancer Modeling Research
Xingxing Liu1, Qiuping Su1, Xiaoyu Zhang2
1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Industrial Surfactant, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510075, China.
Abstract:
Although many studies have focused on oncology and therapeutics in cancer, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Due to the unclear molecular mechanism and complex in vivo microenvironment of tumors, it is challenging to reveal the nature of cancer and develop effective therapeutics. Therefore, the development of new methods to explore the role of heterogeneous TME in individual patients' cancer drug response is urgently needed and critical for the effective therapeutic management of cancer. The organ-on-chip (OoC) platform, which integrates the technology of 3D cell culture, tissue engineering, and microfluidics, is emerging as a new method to simulate the critical structures of the in vivo tumor microenvironment and functional characteristics. It overcomes the failure of traditional 2D/3D cell culture models and preclinical animal models to completely replicate the complex TME of human tumors. As a brand-new technology, OoC is of great significance for the realization of personalized treatment and the development of new drugs. This review discusses the recent advances of OoC in cancer biology studies. It focuses on the design principles of OoC devices and associated applications in cancer modeling. The challenges for the future development of this field are also summarized in this review. This review displays the broad applications of OoC technique and has reference value for oncology development.
Insights
Organ-on-chip (OoC) technology offers a novel approach to model the tumor microenvironment (TME) for personalized cancer therapy. This method overcomes limitations of traditional models, aiding in drug development and treatment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biotechnology
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Cancer remains a leading cause of death globally.
- Tumor molecular mechanisms and the in vivo microenvironment present challenges for effective therapeutics.
- There is a critical need for methods to study tumor microenvironment (TME) heterogeneity and its impact on individual patient drug responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in organ-on-chip (OoC) technology for cancer research.
- To highlight the significance of OoC in simulating in vivo tumor microenvironments.
- To discuss the application of OoC in personalized medicine and drug development.
Main Methods:
- Organ-on-chip (OoC) platforms integrating 3D cell culture, tissue engineering, and microfluidics.
- Simulation of critical in vivo tumor microenvironment structures and functional characteristics.
- Comparison with traditional 2D/3D cell culture and animal models.
Main Results:
- OoC platforms effectively replicate complex human tumor microenvironments.
- OoC technology overcomes limitations of conventional cancer models.
- OoC shows great significance for personalized cancer treatment and novel drug discovery.
Conclusions:
- Organ-on-chip technology represents a significant advancement in cancer biology research.
- OoC platforms are valuable tools for understanding cancer drug response and developing personalized therapies.
- Future development of OoC holds promise for transforming oncology.
