Researchers from IIS Aragón and I3A create a microfluidic device to better understand the communication between a brain tumor and the immune system

The TME Lab research group has developed the new device that allows studying the interaction between tumor and immune cells. The scientific journal Nano-Micro Small has published the research

The immune system plays a crucial role in shaping the tumor microenvironment. glioblastoma, characterized by its complexity. Understanding the interaction between this tumor and immunology It is essential for advancing cancer research and therapeutic development. Almost half of patients develop resistance to treatment, mainly due to the high heterogeneity that characterizes this brain tumor.

Now, the Tissue Microenvironment Research Group (TME Lab) from the Aragon Engineering Research Institute (I3A), at the University of Zaragoza, and the Health Research Institute of Aragon (IIS Aragon), In collaboration with Beonchip, has developed a novel barrier-free multi-compartment microfluidic device that overcomes the limitations of currently existing models by allowing interactions between tumor 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, that 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 increase of the stiffness of the matrix surrounding the tumor, induced in vivo by the tumor itself, enhances its invasive capacity and at the same time hinders the infiltration of immune cells, giving it a double advantage.

On the other hand, it has also been seen that Temozolomide treatment, a chemotherapy drug used in glioblastoma, reduces and slows down immune infiltration, while triggering an immune response, which may be favorable 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 for a deeper understanding of the interactions between the tumor and a person's immune system, "a highly relevant advance in both the scientific and medical fields, with the potential to promote new therapeutic strategies and contribute to the development of more personalized and effective treatments," the researchers from the TME Lab group emphasize.

Another important aspect is the design of the chip itself, since It can be used in other fields of study to answer complex biological questions.

Source: Aragon University Institute for Engineering Research, University of Zaragoza (I3A)

Item reference: A Novel Multicompartment Barrier-Free Microfluidic Device Reveals the Impact of Extracellular Matrix Stiffening and Temozolomide on Immune-Tumor Interactions in Glioblastoma. The authors declare that they are in compliance with the provisions of the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International License. https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202409229