Abstract
Researchers at the University of Central Florida and the Mayo Clinic are developing a diagnostic tool for predicting patient outcome in response to a particular cancer treatment. The tool consists of biomaterial scaffolds that mimic the in vivo 3D structure of the tumor microenvironment and can be used as an in vitro platform to screen cancer therapies.
Technical Details
The 3D screening platform consists of biomaterial scaffold compositions and methods for creating cell culture scaffolds of varying stiffness, porosity and mechanical properties. Such scaffolds enable patient-derived primary cancer cells to grow and retain their malignant phenotype in an in vitro environment. The biomaterials can consist of natural polymers, such as chitosan-alginate (CA), chitosan-chondroitin sulfate (C-CS), and chitosan-hyaluronic acid (C-HA) and be made using 3D printing and freeze-casting techniques.
Benefit
Supports co-culture of cancer cells with fibroblasts or immune cellsEnables the drug screening for more personalized cancer treatmentsMarket Application
Diagnostic tool for screening cancer treatment therapiesPublications
3D porous chitosan-alginate scaffold stiffness promotes differential responses in prostate cancer cell lines, Biomaterials, 2019 Oct;217:119311. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2019.119311. Epub 2019 Jun 28.
Brochure
