Recent advances in vascularized tumor-on-a-chip

Christina Bao Xian Huang; Ting-Yuan Tu

doi:10.3389/fonc.2023.1150332

Recent advances in vascularized tumor-on-a-chip

Front Oncol. 2023 Mar 30:13:1150332. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1150332. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Christina Bao Xian Huang¹, Ting-Yuan Tu^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
² Medical Device Innovation Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
³ International Center for Wound Repair and Regeneration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.

Abstract

The vasculature plays a critical role in cancer progression and metastasis, representing a pivotal aspect in the creation of cancer models. In recent years, the emergence of organ-on-a-chip technology has proven to be a robust tool, capable of replicating in vivo conditions with exceptional spatiotemporal resolution, making it a significant asset in cancer research. This review delves into the latest developments in 3D microfluidic vascularized tumor models and their applications in vitro, focusing on heterotypic cellular interactions, the mechanisms of metastasis, and therapeutic screening. Additionally, the review examines the benefits and drawbacks of these models, as well as the future prospects for their advancement.

Keywords: microfluidics; organ-on-a-chip; tumor-on-a-chip; vascularized tumor-on-a-chip; vasculogenesis.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), Taiwan, and the Young Scholar Program (MOST 111- 2740-B-006-002-, MOST 111-2636-B-006-010-, and NSTC 112-2636-B-006-001- to T-YT). This work was also supported in part by the Higher Education Sprout Project, Ministry of Education to the Headquarters of University Advancement at National Cheng Kung University.