Description du projet
Modélisation 3D innovante du microenvironnement des tumeurs du cerveau
Le projet MagDock, financé par l’UE, entend mettre au point des systèmes de coculture modulaires en 3D permettant de reproduire le micro-environnement physiologique des tumeurs du cerveau. L’innovation du projet a trait à la conception et à la fabrication de micro-échafaudages magnétiques en utilisant la technique de polymérisation à deux photons. Les micro-échafaudages ensemencés de cellules endothéliales et reliés à un système fluidique recréeront la barrière hémato-encéphalique. Ce système biohybride servira de base à des microcages ferromagnétiques de cellules de glioblastome et à des microcages superparamagnétiques de cellules progénitrices neuronales. Cette modélisation 3D innovante reproduira fidèlement le microenvironnement réel du glioblastome et proposera une plateforme destinée au criblage à haut débit de candidats-médicaments et aux tests in vitro de différentes thérapies anticancéreuses.
Objectif
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.
Champ scientifique
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Régime de financement
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept GrantsInstitution d’accueil
16163 Genova
Italie