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Updated: Jun 7, 2025
Quantifying the Brain Metastatic Tumor Micro-Environment using an Organ-On-A Chip 3D Model, Machine Learning, and Confocal Tomography
Published on: August 16, 2020
Channel-assembling tumor microenvironment on-chip for evaluating anticancer drug efficacy
Jaehun Lee1, Youngwon Kim1, Hyo-Il Jung2
1Yonsei University, School of Mechanical Engineering, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seadaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea; Dongguk University, College of Medicine, 32 Dongguk-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyangsi, Gyeonggi-do 10326, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Organ-on-a-chip is an advanced system for evaluating drug response in diseases. It simulates the in vivo tumor microenvironment, aiding in the understanding of drug mechanisms and tumor responses. It mimics the structure of the tumor microenvironment and the dynamic conditions within the body. As a result, it holds the potential for applications in precision and personalized medicine. However, there are still limitations in sequential development processes and complex structures, resulting in time-consuming molecular interference during system development. In this study, we developed a channel-assembling tumor microenvironment-on-chip (CATOC) system to overcome these limitations. CATOC was easily segmented into blood vessels and a tumor microenvironment-on-chip, which can be independently developed. The tumor microenvironment-on-chip consists of two independent channels for evaluating drug responses in different types of tumor microenvironments. Each fully developed system was physically interconnected to create a CATOC. Interconnected CATOC was used to validate chemical and targeted anticancer drug responses in different subtypes of the breast tumor microenvironment. We also emphasized the significance of on-chip experiments by observing the drug response of tumor spheroids on CATOC and scaffold-free platforms.
Insights
A novel channel-assembling tumor microenvironment-on-chip (CATOC) system enables independent development of vascular and tumor components for precise drug response evaluation. This organ-on-a-chip technology advances personalized medicine by simulating complex tumor microenvironments.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Drug Discovery
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Organ-on-a-chip systems simulate in vivo tumor microenvironments for drug response evaluation.
- Current systems face limitations in sequential development and complex structures, causing molecular interference.
- These challenges hinder the potential of organ-on-a-chip technology in precision medicine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel channel-assembling tumor microenvironment-on-chip (CATOC) system.
- To overcome limitations of sequential development and complex structures in existing systems.
- To enable independent development and evaluation of drug responses in diverse tumor microenvironments.
Main Methods:
- Developed a modular CATOC system with independently developable blood vessel and tumor microenvironment components.
- Physically interconnected the developed systems to create the complete CATOC.
- Validated anticancer drug responses in different breast tumor microenvironment subtypes using the CATOC.
- Compared on-chip drug response of tumor spheroids with scaffold-free platforms.
Main Results:
- The CATOC system facilitated independent development and interconnection of its components.
- Successfully validated chemical and targeted anticancer drug responses in various breast tumor subtypes.
- Demonstrated the significance of on-chip experiments by observing distinct drug responses.
- Highlighted differences in drug response between CATOC and scaffold-free platforms.
Conclusions:
- The CATOC system offers a flexible and efficient platform for studying tumor microenvironments and drug responses.
- This technology advances the development of personalized and precision medicine approaches.
- On-chip experiments provide valuable insights into drug efficacy within simulated tumor microenvironments.
