Descripción del proyecto
Una tecnología de chips para tumores imitará cómo las células cancerígenas reaccionan a los fármacos
La elección de la terapia más eficaz para cada paciente de cáncer es el santo grial en el tratamiento del cáncer. La baja eficacia de muchos tratamientos para el cáncer se debe principalmente a la capacidad limitada de predecir la respuesta del tumor del paciente a los agentes terapéuticos. El proyecto BITFORM, financiado con fondos europeos, está desarrollando un sistema de ingeniería que debería permitir predecir con precisión la respuesta tumoral a fármacos anticancerígenos y mejorar los resultados para el paciente. Dicho sistema será un biorreactor con un ecosistema de cáncer de mama en un chip que conservará las características tisulares del cáncer con una gran fiabilidad. Los biomarcadores secretados por las células del tumor de mama se controlarán en tiempo real a través de un módulo biosensor conectado. Se espera que la nueva plataforma dé lugar a una nueva metodología para probar eficazmente terapias contra el cáncer en un chip.
Objetivo
In this project I will develop an integrated multi-module platform in which a breast cancer ecosystem-on-a-chip (BCE-on-a-chip) bioreactor module, connected to an optical biosensing module based on multiplexed Resonant Nanopillars (R-NPs) transducers, will be developed for biomarkers and anti-breast cancer drug real-time monitoring.
Currently attrition rates in clinical trials for new anti-cancer drugs and personalized treatments are higher than all other therapeutic areas. Mainly due to the great reliability on conventional 2D and 3D scaffolds in-vitro culture methodologies in preclinical studies. Those cell-based models are limited by their
inability to conserve the patient tumor features and do not accurately show drug response, observed later in clinical trials.
Due to the increasing number of cancer diagnoses, an engineered system that allows an accurate prediction of patient tumor response to anti-cancer drug, is urgently needed.
In Bitform Project I will develop a BCE-on-a-chip bioreactor that intends to conserve the cancer tissue characteristics with high reliability. Breast cancer cell secreted biomarkers will be monitored in real-time with a multiplexed biosensing module based on R-NPs. In order to assess the capability of Bitform platform, an anti-cancer drug demonstrator (Paclitaxel) will be tested. By delivering Paclitaxel to the BCE-on-a-chip, monitoring of different cell secreted target biomarkers will permit to evaluate the effect of this drug, and thus to demonstrate the performance of the platform.
The Bitform platform will be suitable for different organ-on-chip culture models and biomolecules monitoring secreted by the cells. This will lead to a new methodology for testing anti-cancer therapies on-a-chip. This is a relevant milestone to study the further potential of the Bitform Platform in personalized medicine, which can have a transformative impact not only on the outcome but also on the costs of treatments by avoiding expensive failures.
Ámbito científico
- engineering and technologyenvironmental biotechnologybioremediationbioreactors
- engineering and technologyenvironmental biotechnologybiosensing
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineoncologybreast cancer
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencespersonalized medicine
- engineering and technologyother engineering and technologiesmicrotechnologyorgan on a chip
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinador
28040 Madrid
España