Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most challenging and highly lethal brain tumors, with limited treatment options and a poor prognosis, characterized by rapid progression, invasiveness, and resistance to conventional therapies. Traditional 2D cell cultures and animal models often fail to replicate the complexity of the TME, leading to limited predictive value for human clinical outcomes. The development of GBM-on-chip models represents as a promising tool to bridge this gap. GBM cells cultured in 3D matrices within microfluidic systems can enable real-time monitoring of molecular and physiological processes associated with tumor progression and drug response. In this study, we develop microfluidic platforms to host a 3D biomimetic tumor niche populated with GBM and TME cells under dynamic conditions. This versatile, modular system offers a powerful platform for studying tumor physiology and can be readily applied to high-throughput screening of new drugs and therapies. By offering an efficient and advanced approach, it can support the development of precision medicine strategies for GMB.
Objectives
- Objective 1 – Development of a microfluidic platform to host a biomimetic tumor niche populated with GBM and TME cells, such as astrocyte and endothelial cells, under dynamic conditions (GBM-on-Chip)
- Objective 2 – Study of the TME influence on GBM growth and invasiveness
- Objective 3 – The GBM-on-chip as drug testing tool
Collaborators
- Institute of Genetics and Biophysics – IGB, (Patrizia Stoppelli, Paola Franco)
- Istitute of Neuroscience – IN, (Vania Broccoli, Angelo Iannielli)
Key 5 publications
- Morello G., Quarta A., Gaballo A., Moroni L., Gigli G., Polini A., Gervaso F. A thermo- sensitive chitosan/pectin hydrogel for long-term tumor spheroid culture. Carbohydrate Polymers 274 (2021) 118633. DOI:10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118633
- Morello G., Polini A., Scalera F., Rizzo R., Gigli G. and Gervaso F. Preparation and Characterization of Salt-Mediated Injectable Thermosensitive Chitosan/Pectin Hydrogels for Cell Embedding and Culturing. Polymers 2021,13,2674. DOI:10.3390/polym13162674
- Rizzo, R., Onesto, V., Morello, G., Iuele, H., Scalera, F., Forciniti, S., Gigli, G., Polini, A., Gervaso, F.*, del Mercato, L.L.* pH-sensing hybrid hydrogels for non-invasive metabolism monitoring in tumor spheroids. (2023) Materials Today Bio, 20, art. no. 100655. DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100655 (*Co-Last)
