51
|
Cho S, Lee S, Ahn SI. Design and engineering of organ-on-a-chip. Biomed Eng Lett 2023; 13:97-109. [PMID: 36620430 PMCID: PMC9806813 DOI: 10.1007/s13534-022-00258-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Organ-on-a-chip (OOC) is an emerging interdisciplinary technology that reconstitutes the structure, function, and physiology of human tissues as an alternative to conventional preclinical models for drug screening. Over the last decade, substantial progress has been made in mimicking tissue- and organ-level functions on chips through technical advances in biomaterials, stem cell engineering, microengineering, and microfluidic technologies. Structural and engineering constituents, as well as biological components, are critical factors to be considered to reconstitute the tissue function and microenvironment on chips. In this review, we highlight critical engineering technologies for reconstructing the tissue microarchitecture and dynamic spatiotemporal microenvironment in OOCs. We review the technological advances in the field of OOCs for a range of applications, including systemic analysis tools that can be integrated with OOCs, multiorgan-on-chips, and large-scale manufacturing. We then discuss the challenges and future directions for the development of advanced end-user-friendly OOC systems for a wide range of applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sujin Cho
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241 Republic of Korea
| | - Sumi Lee
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241 Republic of Korea
| | - Song Ih Ahn
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan, 46241 Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
52
|
Recent advances in nanowire sensor assembly using laminar flow in open space. Trends Analyt Chem 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2023.116918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
|
53
|
Liu X, Su Q, Zhang X, Yang W, Ning J, Jia K, Xin J, Li H, Yu L, Liao Y, Zhang D. Recent Advances of Organ-on-a-Chip in Cancer Modeling Research. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:bios12111045. [PMID: 36421163 PMCID: PMC9688857 DOI: 10.3390/bios12111045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xingxing Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Industrial Surfactant, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510075, China
| | - Qiuping Su
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Industrial Surfactant, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510075, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhang
- Research Center for Intelligent Sensing Systems, Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou 311100, China
| | - Wenjian Yang
- Research Center for Intelligent Sensing Systems, Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou 311100, China
| | - Junhua Ning
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Industrial Surfactant, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510075, China
| | - Kangle Jia
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Industrial Surfactant, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510075, China
| | - Jinlan Xin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Industrial Surfactant, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510075, China
| | - Huanling Li
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Industrial Surfactant, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510075, China
| | - Longfei Yu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Industrial Surfactant, Institute of Chemical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510075, China
| | - Yuheng Liao
- Research Center for Intelligent Sensing Systems, Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou 311100, China
| | - Diming Zhang
- Research Center for Intelligent Sensing Systems, Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou 311100, China
| |
Collapse
|
54
|
Kim S, Wan Z, Jeon JS, Kamm RD. Microfluidic vascular models of tumor cell extravasation. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1052192. [PMID: 36439519 PMCID: PMC9698448 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1052192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging microfluidic disease models have amply demonstrated their value in many fields of cancer research. These in vitro technologies recapitulate key aspects of metastatic cancer, including the process of tumor cell arrest and extravasation at the site of the metastatic tumor. To date, extensive efforts have been made to capture key features of the microvasculature to reconstitute the pre-metastatic niche and investigate dynamic extravasation behaviors using microfluidic systems. In this mini-review, we highlight recent microfluidic vascular models of tumor cell extravasation and explore how this approach contributes to development of in vitro disease models to enhance understanding of metastasis in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Seunggyu Kim
- Mechanobiology Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Biomicrofluidics Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Zhengpeng Wan
- Mechanobiology Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Jessie S. Jeon
- Biomicrofluidics Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Roger D. Kamm
- Mechanobiology Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
55
|
Terrassoux L, Claux H, Bacari S, Meignan S, Furlan A. A Bloody Conspiracy. Blood Vessels and Immune Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14194581. [PMID: 36230504 PMCID: PMC9558972 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14194581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The tumor microenvironment has risen over the last years as a significant contributor to the failure of antitumoral strategies due to its numerous pro-tumorigenic activities. In this review, we focused on two features of this microenvironment, namely angiogenesis and immunity, which have been the targets of therapies to tackle tumors via its microenvironmental part over the last decade. Increasing our knowledge of the complex interactions within this ecosystem is mandatory to optimize these therapeutic approaches. The development of innovative experimental models is of great help in reaching this goal. Abstract Cancer progression occurs in concomitance with a profound remodeling of the cellular microenvironment. Far from being a mere passive event, the re-orchestration of interactions between the various cell types surrounding tumors highly contributes to the progression of the latter. Tumors notably recruit and stimulate the sprouting of new blood vessels through a process called neo-angiogenesis. Beyond helping the tumor cope with an increased metabolic demand associated with rapid growth, this also controls the metastatic dissemination of cancer cells and the infiltration of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. To decipher this critical interplay for the clinical progression of tumors, the research community has developed several valuable models in the last decades. This review offers an overview of the various instrumental solutions currently available, including microfluidic chips, co-culture models, and the recent rise of organoids. We highlight the advantages of each technique and the specific questions they can address to better understand the tumor immuno-angiogenic ecosystem. Finally, we discuss this development field’s fundamental and applied perspectives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Terrassoux
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, UMR9020-U1277-CANTHER-Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France
- Tumorigenesis and Resistance to Treatment Unit, Centre Oscar Lambret, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Hugo Claux
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, UMR9020-U1277-CANTHER-Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France
- Tumorigenesis and Resistance to Treatment Unit, Centre Oscar Lambret, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Salimata Bacari
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, UMR9020-U1277-CANTHER-Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France
- Tumorigenesis and Resistance to Treatment Unit, Centre Oscar Lambret, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Samuel Meignan
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, UMR9020-U1277-CANTHER-Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France
- Tumorigenesis and Resistance to Treatment Unit, Centre Oscar Lambret, F-59000 Lille, France
| | - Alessandro Furlan
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, UMR9020-U1277-CANTHER-Cancer Heterogeneity Plasticity and Resistance to Therapies, F-59000 Lille, France
- Tumorigenesis and Resistance to Treatment Unit, Centre Oscar Lambret, F-59000 Lille, France
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
56
|
Marzagalli M, Pelizzoni G, Fedi A, Vitale C, Fontana F, Bruno S, Poggi A, Dondero A, Aiello M, Castriconi R, Bottino C, Scaglione S. A multi-organ-on-chip to recapitulate the infiltration and the cytotoxic activity of circulating NK cells in 3D matrix-based tumor model. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:945149. [PMID: 35957642 PMCID: PMC9358021 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.945149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The success of immunotherapeutic approaches strictly depends on the immune cells interaction with cancer cells. While conventional in vitro cell cultures under-represent the complexity and dynamic crosstalk of the tumor microenvironment, animal models do not allow deciphering the anti-tumor activity of the human immune system. Therefore, the development of reliable and predictive preclinical models has become crucial for the screening of immune-therapeutic approaches. We here present an organ-on-chip organ on chips (OOC)-based approach for recapitulating the immune cell Natural Killer (NK) migration under physiological fluid flow, infiltration within a 3D tumor matrix, and activation against neuroblastoma cancer cells in a humanized, fluid-dynamic environment. Circulating NK cells actively initiate a spontaneous “extravasation” process toward the physically separated tumor niche, retaining their ability to interact with matrix-embedded tumor cells, and to display a cytotoxic effect (tumor cell apoptosis). Since NK cells infiltration and phenotype is correlated with prognosis and response to immunotherapy, their phenotype is also investigated: most importantly, a clear decrease in CD16-positive NK cells within the migrated and infiltrated population is observed. The proposed immune-tumor OOC-based model represents a promising approach for faithfully recapitulating the human pathology and efficiently employing the immunotherapies testing, eventually in a personalized perspective. An immune-organ on chip to recapitulate the tumor-mediated infiltration of circulating immune cells within 3D tumor model.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Giorgia Pelizzoni
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza Della Scienza, Milan, Italy
| | - Arianna Fedi
- National Research Council, CNR-IEIIT, Genoa, Italy
| | - Chiara Vitale
- National Research Council, CNR-IEIIT, Genoa, Italy
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Fontana
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences (DiSFeB), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Bruno
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Poggi
- Molecular Oncology and Angiogenesis Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessandra Dondero
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Roberta Castriconi
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Cristina Bottino
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Silvia Scaglione
- National Research Council, CNR-IEIIT, Genoa, Italy
- *Correspondence: Silvia Scaglione,
| |
Collapse
|
57
|
Campisi M, Shelton SE, Chen M, Kamm RD, Barbie DA, Knelson EH. Engineered Microphysiological Systems for Testing Effectiveness of Cell-Based Cancer Immunotherapies. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:3561. [PMID: 35892819 PMCID: PMC9330888 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14153561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell therapies, including adoptive immune cell therapies and genetically engineered chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T or NK cells, have shown promise in treating hematologic malignancies. Yet, immune cell infiltration and expansion has proven challenging in solid tumors due to immune cell exclusion and exhaustion and the presence of vascular barriers. Testing next-generation immune therapies remains challenging in animals, motivating sophisticated ex vivo models of human tumor biology and prognostic assays to predict treatment response in real-time while comprehensively recapitulating the human tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). This review examines current strategies for testing cell-based cancer immunotherapies using ex vivo microphysiological systems and microfluidic technologies. Insights into the multicellular interactions of the TIME will identify novel therapeutic strategies to help patients whose tumors are refractory or resistant to current immunotherapies. Altogether, these microphysiological systems (MPS) have the capability to predict therapeutic vulnerabilities and biological barriers while studying immune cell infiltration and killing in a more physiologically relevant context, thereby providing important insights into fundamental biologic mechanisms to expand our understanding of and treatments for currently incurable malignancies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Campisi
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (M.C.); (S.E.S.); (M.C.); (D.A.B.)
| | - Sarah E. Shelton
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (M.C.); (S.E.S.); (M.C.); (D.A.B.)
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA;
| | - Minyue Chen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (M.C.); (S.E.S.); (M.C.); (D.A.B.)
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Roger D. Kamm
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA;
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - David A. Barbie
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (M.C.); (S.E.S.); (M.C.); (D.A.B.)
| | - Erik H. Knelson
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA; (M.C.); (S.E.S.); (M.C.); (D.A.B.)
| |
Collapse
|
58
|
Sandström N, Carannante V, Olofsson K, Sandoz PA, Moussaud-Lamodière EL, Seashore-Ludlow B, Van Ooijen H, Verron Q, Frisk T, Takai M, Wiklund M, Östling P, Önfelt B. Miniaturized and multiplexed high-content screening of drug and immune sensitivity in a multichambered microwell chip. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2022; 2:100256. [PMID: 35880015 PMCID: PMC9308168 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Here, we present a methodology based on multiplexed fluorescence screening of two- or three-dimensional cell cultures in a newly designed multichambered microwell chip, allowing direct assessment of drug or immune cell cytotoxic efficacy. We establish a framework for cell culture, formation of tumor spheroids, fluorescence labeling, and imaging of fixed or live cells at various magnifications directly in the chip together with data analysis and interpretation. The methodology is demonstrated by drug cytotoxicity screening using ovarian and non-small cell lung cancer cells and by cellular cytotoxicity screening targeting tumor spheroids of renal carcinoma and ovarian carcinoma with natural killer cells from healthy donors. The miniaturized format allowing long-term cell culture, efficient screening, and high-quality imaging of small sample volumes makes this methodology promising for individualized cytotoxicity tests for precision medicine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Sandström
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Valentina Carannante
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Karl Olofsson
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Patrick A. Sandoz
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | | | - Brinton Seashore-Ludlow
- Department of Oncology and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Hanna Van Ooijen
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Quentin Verron
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Thomas Frisk
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Madoka Takai
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
| | - Martin Wiklund
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Päivi Östling
- Department of Oncology and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| | - Björn Önfelt
- Department of Applied Physics, Science for Life Laboratory, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institutet, 171 65 Solna, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
59
|
Oh JM, Begum HM, Liu YL, Ren Y, Shen K. Recapitulating Tumor Hypoxia in a Cleanroom-Free, Liquid-Pinning-Based Microfluidic Tumor Model. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2022; 8:3107-3121. [PMID: 35678715 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c00207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In tumors, the metabolic demand of cancer cells often outpaces oxygen supply, resulting in a gradient of tumor hypoxia accompanied with heterogeneous resistance to cancer therapeutics. Models recapitulating tumor hypoxia are therefore essential for developing more effective cancer therapeutics. Existing in vitro models often fail to capture the spatial heterogeneity of tumor hypoxia or involve high-cost, complex fabrication/handling techniques. Here, we designed a highly tunable microfluidic device that induces hypoxia through natural cell metabolism and oxygen diffusion barriers. We adopted a cleanroom-free, micromilling-replica-molding strategy and a microfluidic liquid-pinning approach to streamline the fabrication and tumor model establishment. We also implemented a thin-film oxygen diffusion barrier design, which was optimized through COMSOL simulation, to support both two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) hypoxic models. We demonstrated that liquid-pinning enables an easy, injection-based micropatterning of cancer cells of a wide range of parameters, showing the high tunability of our design. Human breast cancer and prostate cancer cells were seeded and stained after 24 h of 2-D and 3-D culture to validate the natural induction of hypoxia. We further demonstrated the feasibility of the parallel microfluidic channel design to evaluate dual therapeutic conditions in the same device. Overall, our new microfluidic tumor model serves as a user-friendly, cost-effective, and highly scalable platform that provides spatiotemporal analysis of the hypoxic tumor microenvironments suitable for high-content biological studies and therapeutic discoveries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeong Min Oh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Hydari Masuma Begum
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Yao Lucia Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Yuwei Ren
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Keyue Shen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States.,Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, United States.,USC Stem Cell, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, United States
| |
Collapse
|
60
|
Skala MC, Deming DA, Kratz JD. Technologies to Assess Drug Response and Heterogeneity in Patient-Derived Cancer Organoids. Annu Rev Biomed Eng 2022; 24:157-177. [PMID: 35259932 PMCID: PMC9177801 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-110220-123503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Patient-derived cancer organoids (PDCOs) are organotypic 3D cultures grown from patient tumor samples. PDCOs provide an exciting opportunity to study drug response and heterogeneity within and between patients. This research can guide new drug development and inform clinical treatment planning. We review technologies to assess PDCO drug response and heterogeneity, discuss best practices for clinically relevant drug screens, and assert the importance of quantifying single-cell and organoid heterogeneity to characterize response. Autofluorescence imaging of PDCO growth and metabolic activity is highlighted as a compelling method to monitor single-cell and single-organoid response robustly and reproducibly. We also speculate on the future of PDCOs in clinical practice and drug discovery.Future development will require standardization of assessment methods for both morphology and function in PDCOs, increased throughput for new drug development, prospective validation with patient outcomes, and robust classification algorithms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa C Skala
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA;
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Dustin A Deming
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Division of Hematology Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA; ,
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jeremy D Kratz
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Division of Hematology Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA; ,
- Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| |
Collapse
|
61
|
Zhang J, Tavakoli H, Ma L, Li X, Han L, Li X. Immunotherapy discovery on tumor organoid-on-a-chip platforms that recapitulate the tumor microenvironment. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 187:114365. [PMID: 35667465 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has achieved remarkable success over the past decade by modulating patients' own immune systems and unleashing pre-existing immunity. However, only a minority of cancer patients across different cancer types are able to benefit from immunotherapy treatment; moreover, among those small portions of patients with response, intrinsic and acquired resistance remains a persistent challenge. Because the tumor microenvironment (TME) is well recognized to play a critical role in tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, and the suppression of the immune system and responses to immunotherapy, understanding the interactions between the TME and the immune system is a pivotal step in developing novel and efficient cancer immunotherapies. With unique features such as low reagent consumption, dynamic and precise fluid control, versatile structures and function designs, and 3D cell co-culture, microfluidic tumor organoid-on-a-chip platforms that recapitulate key factors of the TME and the immune contexture have emerged as innovative reliable tools to investigate how tumors regulate their TME to counteract antitumor immunity and the mechanism of tumor resistance to immunotherapy. In this comprehensive review, we focus on recent advances in tumor organoid-on-a-chip platforms for studying the interaction between the TME and the immune system. We first review different factors of the TME that recent microfluidic in vitro systems reproduce to generate advanced tools to imitate the crosstalk between the TME and the immune system. Then, we discuss their applications in the assessment of different immunotherapies' efficacy using tumor organoid-on-a-chip platforms. Finally, we present an overview and the outlook of engineered microfluidic platforms in investigating the interactions between cancer and immune systems, and the adoption of patient-on-a-chip models in clinical applications toward personalized immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Ave., El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| | - Hamed Tavakoli
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Ave., El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| | - Lei Ma
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Ave., El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| | - Xiaochun Li
- College of Biomedical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
| | - Lichun Han
- Xi'an Daxing Hospital, Xi'an 710016, China
| | - XiuJun Li
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W University Ave., El Paso, TX 79968, USA; Border Biomedical Research Center, Forensic Science, & Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Ave., El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
62
|
Ayuso JM, Virumbrales-Muñoz M, Lang JM, Beebe DJ. A role for microfluidic systems in precision medicine. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3086. [PMID: 35654785 PMCID: PMC9163169 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30384-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Precision oncology continues to challenge the "one-size-fits-all" dogma. Under the precision oncology banner, cancer patients are screened for molecular tumor alterations that predict treatment response, ideally leading to optimal treatments. Functional assays that directly evaluate treatment efficacy on the patient's cells offer an alternative and complementary tool to improve the accuracy of precision oncology. Unfortunately, traditional Petri dish-based assays overlook much tumor complexity, limiting their potential as predictive functional biomarkers. Here, we review past applications of microfluidic systems for precision medicine and discuss the present and potential future role of functional microfluidic assays as treatment predictors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jose M Ayuso
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - María Virumbrales-Muñoz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Joshua M Lang
- The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - David J Beebe
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
- The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
63
|
Ao Z, Cai H, Wu Z, Hu L, Li X, Kaurich C, Gu M, Cheng L, Lu X, Guo F. Evaluation of cancer immunotherapy using mini-tumor chips. Theranostics 2022; 12:3628-3636. [PMID: 35664082 PMCID: PMC9131272 DOI: 10.7150/thno.71761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Predicting tumor responses to adjuvant therapies can potentially help guide treatment decisions and improve patient survival. Currently, tumor pathology, histology, and molecular profiles are being integrated into personalized profiles to guide therapeutic decisions. However, it remains a grand challenge to evaluate tumor responses to immunotherapy for personalized medicine. Methods: We present a microfluidics-based mini-tumor chip approach to predict tumor responses to cancer immunotherapy in a preclinical model. By uniformly infusing dissociated tumor cells into isolated microfluidic well-arrays, 960 mini-tumors could be uniformly generated on-chip, with each well representing the ex vivo tumor niche that preserves the original tumor cell composition and dynamic cell-cell interactions and autocrine/paracrine cytokines. Results: By incorporating time-lapse live-cell imaging, our mini-tumor chip allows the investigation of dynamic immune-tumor interactions as well as their responses to cancer immunotherapy (e.g., anti-PD1 treatment) in parallel within 36 hours. Additionally, by establishing orthotopic breast tumor models with constitutive differential PD-L1 expression levels, we showed that the on-chip interrogation of the primary tumor's responses to anti-PD1 as early as 10 days post tumor inoculation could predict the in vivo tumors' responses to anti-PD1 at the endpoint of day 24. We also demonstrated the application of this mini-tumor chip to interrogate on-chip responses of primary tumor cells isolated from primary human breast and renal tumor tissues. Conclusions: Our approach provides a simple, quick-turnaround solution to measure tumor responses to cancer immunotherapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Ao
- Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States
| | - Hongwei Cai
- Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States
| | - Zhuhao Wu
- Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States
| | - Liya Hu
- Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States
| | - Xiang Li
- Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States
| | - Connor Kaurich
- Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States
| | - Mingxia Gu
- Perinatal Institute, Division of Pulmonary Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States
- Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine, CuSTOM, Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States
- University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, United States
| | - Liang Cheng
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States
- Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States
| | - Xin Lu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases, Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, United States
- Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States
| | - Feng Guo
- Department of Intelligent Systems Engineering, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, United States
- Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Indianapolis, IN 46202, United States
| |
Collapse
|
64
|
Li H, Barbour JA, Zhu X, Wong JWH. Gene expression is a poor predictor of steady-state metabolite abundance in cancer cells. FASEB J 2022; 36:e22296. [PMID: 35363392 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202101921rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer characterized by global changes in metabolite levels. However, compared with the study of gene expression, profiling of metabolites in cancer samples remains relatively understudied. We obtained metabolomic profiling and gene expression data from 454 human solid cancer cell lines across 24 cancer types from the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) database, to evaluate the feasibility of inferring metabolite levels from gene expression data. For each metabolite, we trained multivariable LASSO regression models to identify gene sets that are most predictive of the level of each metabolite profiled. Even when accounting for cell culture conditions or cell lineage in the model, few metabolites could be accurately predicted. In some cases, the inclusion of the upstream and downstream metabolites improved prediction accuracy, suggesting that gene expression is a poor predictor of steady-state metabolite levels. Our analysis uncovered a single robust relationship between the expression of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) and 1-methylnicotinamide (MNA), however, this relationship could only be validated in cancer samples with high purity, as NNMT is not expressed in immune cells. Together, we have trained models that use gene expression profiles to predict the level of individual metabolites. Our analysis suggests that inferring metabolite levels based on the expression of genes is generally challenging in cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Huaping Li
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jayne A Barbour
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xiaoqiang Zhu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jason W H Wong
- School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| |
Collapse
|
65
|
Sadangi S, Milosavljevic K, Castro-Perez E, Lares M, Singh M, Altameemi S, Beebe DJ, Ayuso JM, Setaluri V. Role of the Skin Microenvironment in Melanomagenesis: Epidermal Keratinocytes and Dermal Fibroblasts Promote BRAF Oncogene-Induced Senescence Escape in Melanocytes. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14051233. [PMID: 35267541 PMCID: PMC8909265 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14051233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Melanoma is a deadly skin cancer caused by the uncontrolled proliferation of melanocytes, a population of specialized cells that produce the skin pigment melanin. An aberrant proliferation of melanocytes is common, manifesting as new moles, and these lesions often remain benign. Only a small fraction of these aberrant melanocytes transition to melanoma (i.e., melanomagenesis). The factors that drive this transition are not fully understood. Recent studies have suggested that other cells—specifically, keratinocytes that make up the upper skin layers and fibroblasts, which are non-specialized cells within the deeper layers of the skin—also contribute to melanomagenesis. Here, employing microscale models that mimicked the skin microenvironment, we investigated the effect of crosstalk between melanocytes as well as keratinocytes and fibroblasts on melanomagenesis. Our findings show that keratinocyte- and fibroblast-derived factors can inhibit the mechanisms that prevent an uncontrolled melanocyte proliferation and contribute to melanomagenesis. Thus, targeting skin microenvironment-derived factors is a potential strategy to prevent melanomagenesis. Abstract BRAFV600E is the most common mutation driver in melanoma. This mutation is known to cause a brief burst of proliferation followed by growth arrest and senescence, which prevent an uncontrolled cell proliferation. This phenomenon is known as oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) and OIS escape is thought to lead to melanomagenesis. Much attention has been focused on the melanocyte-intrinsic mechanisms that contribute to senescence escape. Additional genetic events such as the loss of tumor suppressor PTEN and/or epigenetic changes that contribute to senescence escape have been described. However, the role of the skin microenvironment—specifically, the role of epidermal keratinocytes—on melanomagenesis is not fully understood. In this study, we employ a microfluidic platform to study the interaction between melanocytes expressing the BRAFV600E mutation as well as keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts. We demonstrate that keratinocytes suppress senescence-related genes and promote the proliferation of transformed melanocytes. We also show that a keratinocyte-conditioned medium can alter the secretion of both pro- and anti-tumorigenic factors by transformed melanocytes. In addition, we show that melanocytes and keratinocytes from donors of white European and black African ancestry display different crosstalks; i.e., white keratinocytes appear to promote a more pro-tumorigenic phenotype compared with black keratinocytes. These data suggest that keratinocytes exert their influence on melanomagenesis both by suppressing senescence-related genes in melanocytes and by affecting the balance of the melanocyte-secreted factors that favor tumorigenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shreyans Sadangi
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (S.S.); (K.M.); (E.C.-P.); (M.L.); (M.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Katarina Milosavljevic
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (S.S.); (K.M.); (E.C.-P.); (M.L.); (M.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Edgardo Castro-Perez
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (S.S.); (K.M.); (E.C.-P.); (M.L.); (M.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Marcos Lares
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (S.S.); (K.M.); (E.C.-P.); (M.L.); (M.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Mithalesh Singh
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (S.S.); (K.M.); (E.C.-P.); (M.L.); (M.S.); (S.A.)
| | - Sarah Altameemi
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (S.S.); (K.M.); (E.C.-P.); (M.L.); (M.S.); (S.A.)
| | - David J. Beebe
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin, 1111 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705, USA;
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- The University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Jose M. Ayuso
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (S.S.); (K.M.); (E.C.-P.); (M.L.); (M.S.); (S.A.)
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin, 1111 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705, USA;
- Correspondence: (J.M.A.); (V.S.)
| | - Vijayasaradhi Setaluri
- Department of Dermatology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA; (S.S.); (K.M.); (E.C.-P.); (M.L.); (M.S.); (S.A.)
- Correspondence: (J.M.A.); (V.S.)
| |
Collapse
|
66
|
Natural Killer Cells: the Missing Link in Effective Treatment for High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma. Curr Treat Options Oncol 2022; 23:210-226. [PMID: 35192139 DOI: 10.1007/s11864-021-00929-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
OPINION STATEMENT Ovarian cancer (OC), especially high-grade serous cancer (HGSC), is a highly heterogeneous malignancy with limited options for curative treatment and a high frequency of relapse. Interactions between OC and the immune system may permit immunoediting and immune escape, and current standard of care therapies can influence immune cell infiltration and function within the tumor microenvironment. Natural killer (NK) cells are involved in cancer immunosurveillance and immunoediting and can be activated by therapy, but deliberate approaches to maximize NK cell reactivity for treatment of HGSC are in their infancy. NK cells may be the ideal target for immunotherapy of HGSC. The diverse functions of NK cells, and their established roles in immunosurveillance, make them attractive candidates for more precise and effective HGSC treatment. NK cells' functional capabilities differ because of variation in receptor expression and genetics, with meaningful impacts on their anticancer activity. Studying HGSC:NK cell interactions will define the features that predict the best outcomes for patients with the disease, but the highly diverse nature of HGSC will likely require combination therapies or approaches to simultaneously target multiple, co-existing features of the tumor to avoid tumor escape and relapse. We expect that the ideal therapy will enable NK cell infiltration and activity, reverse immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment, and enable effector functions against the diverse subpopulations that comprise HGSC.
Collapse
|
67
|
Zhang X, Karim M, Hasan MM, Hooper J, Wahab R, Roy S, Al-Hilal TA. Cancer-on-a-Chip: Models for Studying Metastasis. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:648. [PMID: 35158914 PMCID: PMC8833392 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14030648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The microfluidic-based cancer-on-a-chip models work as a powerful tool to study the tumor microenvironment and its role in metastasis. The models recapitulate and systematically simplify the in vitro tumor microenvironment. This enables the study of a metastatic process in unprecedented detail. This review examines the development of cancer-on-a-chip microfluidic platforms at the invasion/intravasation, extravasation, and angiogenesis steps over the last three years. The on-chip modeling of mechanical cues involved in the metastasis cascade are also discussed. Finally, the popular design of microfluidic chip models for each step are discussed along with the challenges and perspectives of cancer-on-a-chip models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojun Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; (X.Z.); (M.K.); (M.M.H.); (R.W.)
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; (J.H.); (S.R.)
| | - Mazharul Karim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; (X.Z.); (M.K.); (M.M.H.); (R.W.)
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, College of Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| | - Md Mahedi Hasan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; (X.Z.); (M.K.); (M.M.H.); (R.W.)
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, College of Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| | - Jacob Hooper
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; (J.H.); (S.R.)
| | - Riajul Wahab
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; (X.Z.); (M.K.); (M.M.H.); (R.W.)
| | - Sourav Roy
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; (J.H.); (S.R.)
- Border Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| | - Taslim A. Al-Hilal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; (X.Z.); (M.K.); (M.M.H.); (R.W.)
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; (J.H.); (S.R.)
- Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, College of Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA
| |
Collapse
|
68
|
Paterson K, Paterson S, Mulholland T, Coffelt S, Zagnoni M. Assessment of CAR-T cell-mediated cytotoxicity in 3D microfluidic cancer co-culture models for combination therapy. IEEE OPEN JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 3:86-95. [PMID: 35813488 PMCID: PMC9252335 DOI: 10.1109/ojemb.2022.3178302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy is efficacious against many haematological malignancies, but challenges remain when using this cellular immunotherapy for treating solid tumours. Classical 2D in vitro models fail to recapitulate the complexity of the tumour microenvironment, whilst in vivo models, such as patient-derived xenografts, are costly and labour intensive. Microfluidic technologies can provide miniaturized solutions to assess CAR-T therapies in 3D complex preclinical models of solid tumours. Here, we present a novel microfluidic immunoassay for the evaluation of CAR-T cell cytotoxicity and targeting specificity on 3D spheroids containing cancer cells and stromal cells. Monitoring the interaction between CAR-T cells and spheroid co-cultures, we show that CAR-T cells home towards target-expressing cancer cells and elicit a cytotoxic effect. Testing CAR-T cells in combination therapies, we show that CAR-T cell cytotoxicity is enhanced with anti-PD-L1 therapy and carboplatin chemotherapy. We propose this proof-of-concept microfluidic immunoassay as a material-saving, pre-clinical screening tool for quantification of cell therapy efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karla Paterson
- Centre for Microsystems and Photonics, EEE Department, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Sarah Paterson
- ScreenIn3D Limited, Technology and Innovation Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - Seth Coffelt
- Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Glasgow, UK
| | - Michele Zagnoni
- EEE, Univ Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, G1 1XW
| |
Collapse
|
69
|
Advances in 3D Vascularized Tumor-on-a-Chip Technology. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1379:231-256. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-04039-9_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
|
70
|
Nguyen OTP, Misun PM, Lohasz C, Lee J, Wang W, Schroeder T, Hierlemann A. An Immunocompetent Microphysiological System to Simultaneously Investigate Effects of Anti-Tumor Natural Killer Cells on Tumor and Cardiac Microtissues. Front Immunol 2021; 12:781337. [PMID: 34925361 PMCID: PMC8675866 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.781337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Existing first-line cancer therapies often fail to cope with the heterogeneity and complexity of cancers, so that new therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. Among novel alternative therapies, adoptive cell therapy (ACT) has emerged as a promising cancer treatment in recent years. The limited clinical applications of ACT, despite its advantages over standard-of-care therapies, can be attributed to (i) time-consuming and cost-intensive procedures to screen for potent anti-tumor immune cells and the corresponding targets, (ii) difficulties to translate in-vitro and animal-derived in-vivo efficacies to clinical efficacy in humans, and (iii) the lack of systemic methods for the safety assessment of ACT. Suitable experimental models and testing platforms have the potential to accelerate the development of ACT. Immunocompetent microphysiological systems (iMPS) are microfluidic platforms that enable complex interactions of advanced tissue models with different immune cell types, bridging the gap between in-vitro and in-vivo studies. Here, we present a proof-of-concept iMPS that supports a triple culture of three-dimensional (3D) colorectal tumor microtissues, 3D cardiac microtissues, and human-derived natural killer (NK) cells in the same microfluidic network. Different aspects of tumor-NK cell interactions were characterized using this iMPS including: (i) direct interaction and NK cell-mediated tumor killing, (ii) the development of an inflammatory milieu through enrichment of soluble pro-inflammatory chemokines and cytokines, and (iii) secondary effects on healthy cardiac microtissues. We found a specific NK cell-mediated tumor-killing activity and elevated levels of tumor- and NK cell-derived chemokines and cytokines, indicating crosstalk and development of an inflammatory milieu. While viability and morphological integrity of cardiac microtissues remained mostly unaffected, we were able to detect alterations in their beating behavior, which shows the potential of iMPS for both, efficacy and early safety testing of new candidate ACTs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oanh T. P. Nguyen
- Bio Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Patrick M. Misun
- Bio Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christian Lohasz
- Bio Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jihyun Lee
- Bio Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Weijia Wang
- Cell Systems Dynamics Group, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Timm Schroeder
- Cell Systems Dynamics Group, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Hierlemann
- Bio Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
71
|
Sükei T, Palma E, Urbani L. Interplay between Cellular and Non-Cellular Components of the Tumour Microenvironment in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:5586. [PMID: 34771746 PMCID: PMC8583132 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13215586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and lethal cancers worldwide. Currently, treatments available for advanced HCC provide dismal chances of survival, thus there is an urgent need to develop more effective therapeutic strategies. While much of the focus of recent decades has been on targeting malignant cells, promising results have emerged from targeting the tumour microenvironment (TME). The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the main non-cellular component of the TME and it profoundly changes during tumorigenesis to promote the growth and survival of malignant cells. Despite this, many in vitro models for drug testing fail to consider the TME leading to a high failure rate in clinical trials. Here, we present an overview of the function and properties of the ECM in the liver and how these change during malignant transformation. We also discuss the relationship between immune cells and ECM in the TME in HCC. Lastly, we present advanced, 3D culture techniques of cancer modelling and argue that the incorporation of TME components into these is essential to better recapitulate the complex interactions within the TME.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tamás Sükei
- The Roger Williams Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London SE5 9NT, UK; (T.S.); (E.P.)
- Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
| | - Elena Palma
- The Roger Williams Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London SE5 9NT, UK; (T.S.); (E.P.)
- Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
| | - Luca Urbani
- The Roger Williams Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London SE5 9NT, UK; (T.S.); (E.P.)
- Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
| |
Collapse
|
72
|
Song J, Choi H, Koh SK, Park D, Yu J, Kang H, Kim Y, Cho D, Jeon NL. High-Throughput 3D In Vitro Tumor Vasculature Model for Real-Time Monitoring of Immune Cell Infiltration and Cytotoxicity. Front Immunol 2021; 12:733317. [PMID: 34630415 PMCID: PMC8500473 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.733317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in anticancer therapy have shown dramatic improvements in clinical outcomes, and adoptive cell therapy has emerged as a type of immunotherapy that can modulate immune responses by transferring engineered immune cells. However, a small percentage of responders and their toxicity remain as challenges. Three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models of the tumor microenvironment (TME) have the potential to provide a platform for assessing and predicting responses to therapy. This paper describes an in vitro 3D tumor model that incorporates clusters of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells around perfusable vascular networks to validate immune-cell-mediated cytotoxicity against cancer cells. The platform is based on an injection-molded 3D co-culture model and composed of 28 microwells where separate identical vascularized cancer models can be formed. It allows robust hydrogel patterning for 3D culture that enables high-throughput experimentation. The uniformity of the devices resulted in reproducible experiments that allowed 10× more experiments to be performed when compared to conventional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic devices. To demonstrate its capability, primary natural killer (NK) cells were introduced into the vascularized tumor network, and their activities were monitored using live-cell imaging. Extravasation, migration, and cytotoxic activity against six types of CRC cell lines were tested and compared. The consensus molecular subtypes (CMS) of CRC with distinct immune responses resulted in the highest NK cell cytotoxicity against CMS1 cancer cells. These results show the potential of our vascularized tumor model for understanding various steps involved in the immune response for the assessment of adoptive cell therapy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiyoung Song
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hyeri Choi
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioengineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Seung Kwon Koh
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology (SAIHST), Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Dohyun Park
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - James Yu
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioengineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Habin Kang
- Interdisciplinary Program in Bioengineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Youngtaek Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Duck Cho
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology (SAIHST), Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Noo Li Jeon
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.,Interdisciplinary Program in Bioengineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.,Institute of Advanced Machines and Design (SNU-IAMD), Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| |
Collapse
|
73
|
Lin YT, Hsu TT, Liu YW, Kao CT, Huang TH. Bidirectional Differentiation of Human-Derived Stem Cells Induced by Biomimetic Calcium Silicate-Reinforced Gelatin Methacrylate Bioink for Odontogenic Regeneration. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9080929. [PMID: 34440133 PMCID: PMC8394247 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9080929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Tooth loss or damage is a common problem affecting millions of people worldwide, and it results in significant impacts on one’s quality of life. Dental regeneration with the support of stem cell-containing scaffolds has emerged as an alternative treatment strategy for such cases. With this concept in mind, we developed various concentrations of calcium silicate (CS) in a gelatin methacryloyl (GelMa) matrix and fabricated human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs)-laden scaffolds via the use of a bioprinting technology in order to determine their feasibility in promoting odontogenesis. The X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy showed that the incorporation of CS increased the number of covalent bonds in the GelMa hydrogels. In addition, rheological analyses were conducted for the different concentrations of hydrogels to evaluate their sol–gel transition temperature. It was shown that incorporation of CS improved the printability and printing quality of the scaffolds. The printed CS-containing scaffolds were able to release silicate (Si) ions, which subsequently significantly enhanced the activation of signaling-related markers such as ERK and significantly improved the expression of odontogenic-related markers such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), dentin matrix protein-1 (DMP-1), and osteocalcin (OC). The calcium deposition assays were also significantly enhanced in the CS-containing scaffold. Our results demonstrated that CS/GelMa scaffolds were not only enhanced in terms of their physicochemical behaviors but the odontogenesis of the hDPSCs was also promoted as compared to GelMa scaffolds. These results demonstrated that CS/GelMa scaffolds can serve as cell-laden materials for future clinical applications and use in dentin regeneration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ting Lin
- School of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan; (Y.-T.L.); (C.-T.K.)
| | - Tuan-Ti Hsu
- x-Dimension Center for Medical Research and Translation, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404332, Taiwan; (T.-T.H.); (Y.-W.L.)
| | - Yu-Wei Liu
- x-Dimension Center for Medical Research and Translation, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 404332, Taiwan; (T.-T.H.); (Y.-W.L.)
| | - Chia-Tze Kao
- School of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan; (Y.-T.L.); (C.-T.K.)
- Department of Stomatology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40201, Taiwan
| | - Tsui-Hsien Huang
- School of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan; (Y.-T.L.); (C.-T.K.)
- Department of Stomatology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40201, Taiwan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +886-4-22967979 (ext. 3700)
| |
Collapse
|
74
|
3D tumor spheroid microarray for high-throughput, high-content natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Commun Biol 2021; 4:893. [PMID: 34290356 PMCID: PMC8295284 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02417-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising approach to treating several forms of cancer. Use of immune cells, such as natural killer (NK) cells, along with small molecule drugs and antibodies through antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) has been investigated as a potential combination therapy for some difficult to treat solid tumors. Nevertheless, there remains a need to develop tools that support co-culture of target cancer cells and effector immune cells in a contextually relevant three-dimensional (3D) environment to provide a rapid means to screen for and optimize ADCC-drug combinations. To that end, here we have developed a high throughput 330 micropillar-microwell sandwich platform that enables 3D co-culture of NK92-CD16 cells with pancreatic (MiaPaCa-2) and breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231). The platform successfully mimicked hypoxic conditions found in a tumor microenvironment and was used to demonstrate NK-cell mediated cell cytotoxicity in combination with two monoclonal antibodies; Trastuzumab and Atezolizumab. The platform was also used to show dose response behavior of target cancer cells with reduced EC50 values for paclitaxel (an anti-cancer chemotherapeutic) when treated with both NK cells and antibody. Such a platform may be used to develop more personalized cancer therapies using patient-derived cancer cells.
Collapse
|
75
|
Kwee BJ, Sung KE. Engineering microenvironments for manufacturing therapeutic cells. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2021; 246:1845-1856. [PMID: 34250847 DOI: 10.1177/15353702211026922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
There are a growing number of globally approved products and clinical trials utilizing autologous and allogeneic therapeutic cells for applications in regenerative medicine and immunotherapies. However, there is a need to develop rapid and cost-effective methods for manufacturing therapeutically effective cells. Furthermore, the resulting manufactured cells may exhibit heterogeneities that result in mixed therapeutic outcomes. Engineering approaches that can provide distinct microenvironmental cues to these cells may be able to enhance the growth and characterization of these cell products. This mini-review describes strategies to potentially enhance the expansion of therapeutic cells with biomaterials and bioreactors, as well as to characterize the cell products with microphysiological systems. These systems can provide distinct cues to maintain the quality attributes of the cells and evaluate their function in physiologically relevant conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Kwee
- Division of Cellular and Gene Therapies, Office of Tissues and Advanced Therapies, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20903, USA
| | - Kyung E Sung
- Division of Cellular and Gene Therapies, Office of Tissues and Advanced Therapies, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20903, USA
| |
Collapse
|
76
|
Paterson K, Zanivan S, Glasspool R, Coffelt SB, Zagnoni M. Microfluidic technologies for immunotherapy studies on solid tumours. LAB ON A CHIP 2021; 21:2306-2329. [PMID: 34085677 PMCID: PMC8204114 DOI: 10.1039/d0lc01305f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapy is a powerful and targeted cancer treatment that exploits the body's immune system to attack and eliminate cancerous cells. This form of therapy presents the possibility of long-term control and prevention of recurrence due to the memory capabilities of the immune system. Various immunotherapies are successful in treating haematological malignancies and have dramatically improved outcomes in melanoma. However, tackling other solid tumours is more challenging, mostly because of the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment (TME). Current in vitro models based on traditional 2D cell monolayers and animal models, such as patient-derived xenografts, have limitations in their ability to mimic the complexity of the human TME. As a result, they have inadequate translational value and can be poorly predictive of clinical outcome. Thus, there is a need for robust in vitro preclinical tools that more faithfully recapitulate human solid tumours to test novel immunotherapies. Microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip technologies offer opportunities, especially when performing mechanistic studies, to understand the role of the TME in immunotherapy, and to expand the experimental throughput when using patient-derived tissue through its miniaturization capabilities. This review first introduces the basic concepts of immunotherapy, presents the current preclinical approaches used in immuno-oncology for solid tumours and then discusses the underlying challenges. We provide a rationale for using microfluidic-based approaches, highlighting the most recent microfluidic technologies and methodologies that have been used for studying cancer-immune cell interactions and testing the efficacy of immunotherapies in solid tumours. Ultimately, we discuss achievements and limitations of the technology, commenting on potential directions for incorporating microfluidic technologies in future immunotherapy studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- K Paterson
- Centre for Microsystems and Photonics, EEE Department, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
| | - S Zanivan
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK and Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Glasgow, UK
| | - R Glasspool
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK and Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - S B Coffelt
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK and Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, Glasgow, UK
| | - M Zagnoni
- Centre for Microsystems and Photonics, EEE Department, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
77
|
Maulana TI, Kromidas E, Wallstabe L, Cipriano M, Alb M, Zaupa C, Hudecek M, Fogal B, Loskill P. Immunocompetent cancer-on-chip models to assess immuno-oncology therapy. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 173:281-305. [PMID: 33798643 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The advances in cancer immunotherapy come with several obstacles, limiting its widespread use and benefits so far only to a small subset of patients. One of the underlying challenges remains to be the lack of representative nonclinical models that translate to human immunity and are able to predict clinical efficacy and safety outcomes. In recent years, immunocompetent Cancer-on-Chip models emerge as an alternative human-based platform that enables the integration and manipulation of complex tumor microenvironment. In this review, we discuss novel opportunities offered by Cancer-on-Chip models to advance (mechanistic) immuno-oncology research, ranging from design flexibility to multimodal analysis approaches. We then exemplify their (potential) applications for the research and development of adoptive cell therapy, immune checkpoint therapy, cytokine therapy, oncolytic virus, and cancer vaccines.
Collapse
|
78
|
Skala MC, Ayuso JM, Burkard ME, Deming DA. Breast cancer immunotherapy: current biomarkers and the potential of in vitro assays. CURRENT OPINION IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 2021; 21:100348. [PMID: 34901585 PMCID: PMC8654237 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobme.2021.100348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Breakthroughs in metastatic breast cancer care require new model systems that can identify the unique features and vulnerabilities of each cancer. Primary tumor cultures are proposed to efficiently screen multiple treatment options in a patient-specific strategy to maximize therapeutic benefit, minimize toxicity, and enable mechanistic insights that inspire future biomarkers for patient selection. To realize the potential of patient-specific cultures, new tools are needed to capture cell-by-cell variability in behavior and dynamic response to treatments in living 3D specimens. Potential bioengineering tools that can achieve this include optical microscopy to image single-cell dynamics and microphysiological in vitro systems to evaluate cell-cell interactions and immunotherapies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa C. Skala
- Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jose M. Ayuso
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Mark E. Burkard
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin
- Division of Hematology Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Dustin A. Deming
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin
- Division of Hematology Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
- McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| |
Collapse
|