A programmable multifunctional 3D cancer cell Invasion micro platform

Liu, Q.; Muralidharan, A.; Saateh, A.; Ding, Z.Y.; Dijke, P. ten; Boukany, P.E. (2022)

Article / Letter to editor

In the research of cancer cell invasion and metastasis, recreation of physiologically relevant and faithful three-dimensional (3D) tumor models that recapitulate spatial architecture, spatiotemporal control of cell communication and signaling pathways, and integration of extracellular cues remains an open challenge. Here, a programmable multifunctional 3D cancer cell invasion microbuckets-hydrogel (Mb-H) platform is developed by integrating various function-variable microbuckets and extracellular matrix (ECM)-like hydrogels. Based on this Mb-H micro platform, the aggregation of multi-cancer cells is well controlled to form cancer cell spheroids, and the guiding relationship of single-cell migration and collective cell migration during the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cancer cell invasion are demonstrated. By programming and precisely assembling multiple functions in one system, the Mb-H platform with spatial-temporal controlled release of cytokine transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and various functionalized Mb-H platforms with intelligent adjustment of cell-matrix interactions are engineered to coordinate the 3D invasive migration of cancer cell spheroids. This programmable and adaptable 3D cancer cell invasion micro platform takes a new step toward mimicking the dynamically changing (localized) tumor microenvironment and exhibits wide potential applications in cancer research, bio-fabrication, cell signaling, and drug screening.

• 3D cancer cell invasion
• directional cancer cell migration
• dynamic TGF-beta release
• hydrogels
• programmable multiple functions

• All authors: Liu, Q.; Muralidharan, A.; Saateh, A.; Ding, Z.Y.; Dijke, P. ten; Boukany, P.E.
• Date: 2022-03-09
• Journal: Small
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 20
• DOI: doi:10.1002/smll.202107757