Descripción del proyecto
Innovador modelo tridimensional del microentorno de los tumores encefálicos
El equipo del proyecto MagDock, financiado con fondos europeos, tiene como objetivo desarrollar sistemas modulares de cocultivo tridimensional para recapitular el microentorno fisiológico de los tumores encefálicos. La innovación del proyecto consiste en el diseño y la fabricación de micromecanismos magnéticos mediante la técnica de polimerización bifotónica. Los micromecanismos sembrados con células endoteliales y conectados a un sistema de fluidos recrearán la barrera hematoencefálica. Dicho sistema biohíbrido servirá de base para las microjaulas ferromagnéticas de células de glioblastoma y las microjaulas superparamagnéticas de células progenitoras neuronales. El innovador modelo tridimensional recapitulará fielmente el microentorno real del glioblastoma, además de proporcionar una plataforma para el cribado de alto rendimiento de los candidatos a fármacos y el ensayo «in vitro» de diferentes terapias contra el cáncer.
Objetivo
This project is focused on the design, the production, the characterization, and the proposal for future commercialization of 3D modular co-culture systems, specifically designed to recapitulate the physio-pathological microenvironment of brain tumor. The key technology at the base of the proposed project is the design of magnetic microscaffolds and their fabrication through two-photon polymerization (2pp), a disruptive mesoscale manufacturing technique that enables low-cost obtainment of microstructures with nanometric resolution, characterized by unprecedented levels of accuracy and reproducibility. A microtubular structure scaffolding endothelial cells and connected to a fluidic system will be exploited to mimic the blood-brain barrier: this biohybrid device will be the base for the assembly of ferromagnetic “microcages” hosting glioblastoma cells, and will be provided with docking systems for superparamagnetic “microcages” carrying undifferentiated and differentiated neuronal progenitor cells. This approach represents a disruptive innovation with respect to other 3D models available in the literature, as it will allow a faithful recapitulation of the complex glioblastoma microenvironment through a platform that can be very easily handled in any laboratory. High-throughput screenings of brain drugs and in vitro testing of the efficacy of different anticancer therapies are envisaged upon successful accomplishment of the project, leading to a pioneering generation of flexible multi-cellular platforms easily adaptable to the mimicry of different pathological conditions.
Ámbito científico
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Régimen de financiación
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept GrantsInstitución de acogida
16163 Genova
Italia