Microfluidic Chip-based Three-dimensional Cell Culture for Cancer and Stem Cell Therapeutics

Considering the rising cancer-related morbidity worldwide and failing oncology trials due to a lack of appropriate preclinical models, it is imperative to develop human-relevant models to test new anticancer therapies. This work developed a three-dimensional biologically-relevant lung tumor model in a microfluidic platform that contained micron-scale channels. Two different types of anticancer regimes - anticancer peptides and stem cells - were screened on this model. The anticancer peptide selectively killed cancer cells without harming healthy cells, a highly desirable cancer chemotherapy trait. Whereas stem cells displayed tumor-enhancing properties, indicating a need for further research on stem-cell-based therapies.