Cancer-on-chip
Background
Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in developed countries. Developing novel drugs is challenging; as a result the success rate in clinical trials is around 5%. One of the underlying issues is the lack of representativeness of laboratory and animal models for the effectiveness of novel drugs in humans. Cancer-on-chip models have the potential to improve drug discovery and personalized medicine by substituting and improving on animal models and incorporating human aspects.
Approach
Cancer-on-chip models are a type of organ-on-chip model, in which cancer cells are cultured and treated in a microfluidic device. Cancer-on-chip models allow for more advanced control of geometry and solutes (e.g. drugs) than traditional laboratory models, which provides the opportunity to mimic in vivo physiology. We have for example designed chip-systems with dynamic, in vivo like drug concentrations. Currently we are using spheroids for incorporating micro-environment aspects, and are now testing whether we could substitute the xenograft mouse model in drug discovery or in the future for personalized medicine.
Collaborations
We are an active participant in the Organ-on-Chip Center Twente (OOCCT) and Institute for human Organ and Disease Model Technologies (hDMT). Furthermore together with the research group of Dannis van Vuurden in the Maxima childrens oncology hospital we apply our technology to screen for better brain stem cancer (DIPG) drugs. Together with the research group of Louis Vermeulen in the AUMC academic medical centre we assess the suitability of our technology for substitution of and improvement on the animal model of human cancer xenografts in mice.
Selected publications
· Mimicking and surpassing the xenograft model with cancer-on-chip technology. Komen, J., van Neerven, S. M., van den Berg, A., Vermeulen, L. & van der Meer, A. D., 25 Mar 2021, In : EBioMedicine. 66, 103303.
· Controlled pharmacokinetic anti-cancer drug concentration profiles lead to growth inhibition of colorectal cancer cells in a microfluidic device. Komen, J., Westerbeek, E. Y., Kolkman, R. W., Roesthuis, J., Lievens, C., van den Berg, A. & van der Meer, A. D., 7 Sep 2020, In : Lab on a chip. 20, 17, p. 3167-3178 12 p.
· A microfluidic device for testing static and dynamic, in vivo like, drug concentration effects on cancer cells. Komen, J., Westerbeek, E. Y., van der Meer, A. & van den Berg, A., 28 Oct 2019, 23rd International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences.
· Viability analysis and apoptosis induction of breast cancer cells in a microfluidic device: effect of cytostatic drugs. Komen, J., Wolbers, F., Franke, H. R., Andersson, H., Vermes, I. & van den Berg, A., Oct 2008, In : Biomedical microdevices. 10, 08332/5, p. 727-737 11 p.
· Apoptosis induced kinetic changes in autofluorescence - possible application for single cell analysis on chip. Wolbers, F., Andersson, H., Vermes, I. & van den Berg, A., 2004, In : Apoptosis. 9, 6, p. 749-755 7 p.
Contact information
Job Komen
Andries van der Meer
Albert van den Berg