Microfluidic 3D co-culture system to study lymphatic microenvironment
2015
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
Several types of cancers disseminate through the lymphatic system, but the mechanisms that lead to this phenomenon are poorly understood. Biophysical characteristics of the lymphatic tissue can affect cell behaviour and may have a key role in cancer cell transendothelial migration. Microfluidic systems are a popular tool to model complex tissues in vitro, however, there is still room for further development of the technique. Here, a microfluidic device is developed to combine 3D co-culture of human lymphatic endothelial cells and breast cancer cells with advanced control of the biophysical cues present in the lymphatic microenvironment. This model can be used in a medium-throughput setup to perform quantitative analyses. The results showed that luminal flow increases tumor cell transmigration by modulating lymphatic endothelial cells. Furthermore, transmural flow increased intravasation. Overall, the researchers propose a new model that can recapitulate the complexity of the lymphatic microenvironment in the context of tumor metastasis and can be used to elucidate the mechanisms regulated by different biophysical features of the tissue.
An in vitro model of the tumor–lymphatic microenvironment with simultaneous transendothelial and luminal flows reveals mechanisms of flow enhanced invasion
Melody A Swartz
Added on: 10-09-2021
[1] https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/IB/C5IB00085H[2] https://data.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset/ffebe454-ed9a-47cf-8a33-8cf70c1b7d38
