Tumor and lymph node on chip for cancer studies
2021
National Technical University of Athens, Athen, Greece
Up to 70% of lung cancer metastases are spread through the lymphatic system. Tumor cells have found ways to escape the immune system and even colonize lymph nodes (LNs), which are responsible for eliminating tumor cells. Nowadays, reactivation of the immune response is the basis for the success of immunotherapy in cancer treatment. Understanding how tumors shape the LN environment and how tumor cells that metastasize to the LN can suppress the local immune response will help identify new biomarkers and potentially targeted therapies that can be combined with existing cancer therapies.
The Tumor-LN-oC project addresses the development and validation of a TRL 5 tumor lymph node chip platform (Tumor-LN-oC) consisting of 3D tissue models and microfluidic chips linking surgically removed human primary tumors and LN tissue from the same lung cancer patient. This allows the study of the interaction of primary tumors with LN for individual patients. Sensitive off-chip proteomics and molecular approaches can be used to characterize soluble signals that neutralize the immune response and allow tumor cells to metastasize to and spread from the LN. This will enable the use of existing drugs or the development of new ones that could reverse this process and inhibit tumor growth and spread.
Tumor-LN-oC is coordinated by the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems from Greece, and there are a total of 11 participating partners from 9 European countries.
Ioanna Zergioti
Added on: 01-31-2022
[1] https://www.hdmt.technology/2021/09/16/tumor-ln-oc-project-has-kicked-off/[2] https://tumor-ln-oc.eu/
