ICE-METs · Interstitium-on-a-chip to explore its role in cancer metastasis

Interstitium-on-a-chip to explore its role in cancer metastasis

In the European Union (EU) alone, the annual number of deaths due to metastasis was projected to reach almost 3 million in 2018. In 2017, the cost of cancer treatment in the EU amounted to between €270 and 610 billion. One of the key factors in metastatic cancer is the ability of the cancer cells to migrate from a primary tumor to the blood vessels and lymphatics. A better understanding of how cancer cells interact with the microenvironment and migrate from blood vessels to the lymphatics to create distant metastases, is key for discovering efficient targeted therapy drugs that will cover the growing needs of the worldwide population. The possibility of developing biomimetic engineered devices to understand metastasis proliferation and testing of drugs is a crucial goal for the research community, both in science and medicine, translating to major benefits for future patients. The overall aim of ICE-METs was to create, for the first time, a microfluidic in vitro model to study whether the interstitium plays a role in cancer cell migration, by integrating biomimetic conducting scaffolds with optimal mechanical properties and electrical conductivity. The scaffolds integrate impedance sensing functionality to perform in-line measurements of the ongoing migration and proliferation process. The objectives of ICE-METs were: - Develop new electroactive 3D scaffolds mimicking the interstitium to study cell interaction, migration and proliferation. - Conducting polymer impedance sensor fabrication and parameter optimisation for monitoring cell migration and proliferation and sensing of cell and cell-specific biomarkers. - Integration of the 3D scaffold and sensors inside microfluidics to generate the Interstitium-on-a-Chip. No website has been developed for the project

Data: CORDIS, © European Union