Some types of cancer can be complicated by the human body. The tumor is protected by the immune system and connective tissue. This prevents chemotherapy drugs from getting through. Marcel Heinrich, a University of Twente researcher, created a tumor micro-environment in his lab using bioprinting and 3D modeling. It is possible to reduce the number animal tests if future lab research reveals new ways of reaching the tumour. Heinrich recently completed his Ph.D. work.
Two types of cancer that have a poor prognosis are pancreatic cancer and aggressive brain cancer called glioblastoma. The micro-environment of your body’s immune and connective tissues makes it difficult to intervene. Although chemotherapy is designed to kill the tumor, it can’t reach the tumor if the environment is prohibitive. The environment surrounding pancreatic cancer is completely different from that surrounding glioblastoma. Marcel Heinrich created 3D models of the environments because two-dimensional (2D), models don’t adequately reflect this. Bio printing techniques were used to print the environment with patient data. The basic question is: What are the requirements to open up this defensive wall?
There is no one-size fits all solution for a particular tumor environment. A strong network of fibrous tissue is formed around pancreatic tumors (PDAC, pancreatic ductal carcinomama). This is fibrotic tissue that can block blood vessels. Glioblastoma, on the other hand, attracts macrophages. These are a type of white cell that help the tumor. It may be obvious that each type of cancer requires a different access strategy. By using reliable data, 3D models of tumor environments could help us reach our goal. The printed miniature brain and pancreas can’t be implanted, as they aren’t made for tissue engineering. They are designed to be used as a model to test possible treatment strategies. Marcel Heinrich says that the models are a great way to reduce the need for animal testing because they allow researchers to experiment without having to use animals.
3-D-printed tumor model showing interaction with immune cell
Marcel Heinrich, Engineering a tumor microenvironment: new 3d in vitro model to study cellular interactions and therapeutics (2021). DOI: 10.3990/1.9789036553162
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Modeling the tumor microenvironment in the laboratory (2022, March 11).
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