Cancer Models on Chip: Paving the Way to Large‐Scale Trial Applications

Cancer kills millions of individuals every year all over the world (Global Cancer Observatory). The physiological and biomechanical processes underlying the tumor are still poorly understood, hindering researchers from creating new, effective therapies. Inconsistent results of preclinical research,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advanced materials (Weinheim) 2023-09, Vol.35 (35), p.e2300692-n/a
Main Authors: Gil, João Ferreira, Moura, Carla Sofia, Silverio, Vania, Gonçalves, Gil, Santos, Hélder A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actuation
biofabrication
Biomechanics
Biomedical materials
Cancer
cancer models
Computer architecture
In vivo methods and tests
Materials science
micro and nanoengineering
microfluidics
Nanofabrication
Pharmacology
Tissue engineering
Tumors
tumor‐on‐a‐chip
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Summary:Cancer kills millions of individuals every year all over the world (Global Cancer Observatory). The physiological and biomechanical processes underlying the tumor are still poorly understood, hindering researchers from creating new, effective therapies. Inconsistent results of preclinical research, in vivo testing, and clinical trials decrease drug approval rates. 3D tumor‐on‐a‐chip (ToC) models integrate biomaterials, tissue engineering, fabrication of microarchitectures, and sensory and actuation systems in a single device, enabling reliable studies in fundamental oncology and pharmacology. This review includes a critical discussion about their ability to reproduce the tumor microenvironment (TME), the advantages and drawbacks of existing tumor models and architectures, major components and fabrication techniques. The focus is on current materials and micro/nanofabrication techniques used to manufacture reliable and reproducible microfluidic ToC models for large‐scale trial applications. ToC devices may become state‐of‐the‐art models for pharmaceutical oncology trials. To achieve this, the ToC should present reliability in mimicking the TME and monitoring biophysical and chemical signals using sensors and actuators. The translation of this technology to the industrial scale must take into consideration scalability and the standardization of the materials/biomaterials, architectures, actuators, and integration with analytical tools.
ISSN:0935-9648
1521-4095
DOI:10.1002/adma.202300692