The immune system plays a crucial role in shaping the tumour microenvironment of glioblastoma, which is characterised by its complexity. Understanding the interplay between this tumour and immunology is essential to advance cancer research and therapeutic development. Almost half of the patients develop resistance to treatment, mainly due to the high heterogeneity that characterises this brain tumour.
Now, the Tissue Microenvironment research group (TME Lab) at the Aragon Institute for Engineering Research (I3A) at the University of Zaragoza and the Aragon Institute for Health Research (IISA), in collaboration with Beonchip, has developed a novel barrier-free multicompartmental microfluidic device that overcomes the limitations of existing models by allowing interactions between tumour and immune cells without physical barriers. ‘A powerful tool to study the immune dynamics of glioblastoma and evaluate therapeutic strategies,’ say the researchers who signed the scientific article in which this scientific advance has been published, Nano-Micro Small
Microfluidics has emerged as a promising approach to recreate the interaction between cancer and the immune system in a controlled and reproducible environment. However, current designs often introduce barriers, such as membranes, pillars and phase guides, which disrupt immune cell infiltration and limit their ability to mimic in vivo conditions. Other techniques, such as laminar flow patterning, while eliminating physical barriers, are limited by their incompatibility to create specific geometries.
The study shows how the increased rigidity of the matrix surrounding the tumour, induced in vivo by the tumour itself, enhances its invasiveness and, at the same time, hinders the infiltration of immune cells, giving it a double advantage.
Treatment with temozolomide, a chemotherapy drug used in glioblastoma, has also been shown to reduce and slow down immune infiltration while triggering an immune response, which may be favourable for the application of cell therapies.
This publication highlights the research group's ability to create innovative technologies that address fundamental questions in the study of cancer, with an approach that integrates biology, engineering and computational simulation. The platform they have built allows a deeper understanding of the interactions between a person's tumour and immune system, ‘a breakthrough of great relevance in both the scientific and medical fields, with the potential to drive new therapeutic strategies and contribute to the development of more personalised and effective treatments,’ say the researchers from the TME Lab group.
Another important aspect is the design of the chip itself, as it can be used in other fields of study to answer complex biological questions.
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A Novel Multicompartment Barrier-Free Microfluidic Device Reveals the Impact of Extracellular Matrix Stiffening and Temozolomide on Immune-Tumor Interactions in Glioblastoma. Clara Bayona, Claudia Olaizola-Rodrigo, Vira Sharko, Mehran Ashrafi, Jesús del Barrio, Manuel Doblaré, Rosa Monge, Ignacio Ochoa, and Sara Oliván. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202409229
