Engineered Tumor Models

Abdelmalek, Bishoy; Berniac, Cecilia; Brooks, Brian; Reilly, Michael

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Engineered Tumor Models

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1 in 8 women in the U.S will develop invasive breast cancer [1]. In 2021 alone, it is estimated that over 280,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected [1]. One of the forms of metastatic breast cancer that accounts for about 10-15% of all breast cancers is triple-negative metastatic breast cancer (mTNBC) [32]. mTNBC is considered to be the most aggressive form of breast cancer due to its quick spread, the difficulty of treatment, and the likelihood of recurrence [32]. There has been much research dedicated to studying this disease and many attempts have been made in harvesting and culturing cells from biopsies of solid tumors to build cell lines that can predict the response of cancer cells to therapies. Despite the billions of dollars invested yearly in this cause, a method of accurately mimicking the actual tumor microenvironment does not exist. Our project is focused on designing and testing an in vitro engineered tissue strategy that would enable the study of the response to therapy that is more representative of the tumor microenvironment in vivo. Applications are not limited to but focused on mTNCB, as we hope that our design is applicable across multiple cancers and contributes to personalized medicine efforts. Our design must include improved cell viability maintenance, allow for cell-cell interaction, and be representative of the tumor microenvironment (TME).

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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