Project description
A biomimetic device for studying metastasis
Metastasis is one of the hallmarks of cancer, and it is characterised by the migration of tumour cells to distant sites through the circulatory and the lymphatic systems. The key objective of the EU-funded ICE-METs project is to develop a microfluidics platform capable of monitoring the migration and proliferation of cancer cells during metastasis. The device under development has been engineered using biomimetic materials, and it offers the possibility to be used for screening and for developing effective chemotherapy drugs, with obvious benefits for patients and for society in general.
Objective
The annual number of metastatic cancer deaths and the cost of cancer treatment makes cancer research a priority for the European Union. One of the key factors in metastatic cancer is the ability of the cancer cells to migrate from a primary tumor to the blood vessels and lymphatics. A better understanding of how cancer cells interact with the microenvironment and migrate from blood vessels to the lymphatics to create distant metastases, is key for discovering efficient chemotherapy drugs that will cover the growing needs of the worldwide population. The possibility of developing biomimetic engineered devices to understand metastasis proliferation and testing of drugs is a crucial goal for the research community, both in science and medicine, translating to major benefits for future patients. Therefore, the goal of the ICE-METs project is to deliver, a novel engineered microfluidic biomimetic platform to monitor the migration and proliferation of cancer cells in metastasis.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinator
CB2 1TN Cambridge
United Kingdom