Bioengineered microfluidic blood-brain barrier models in oncology research

Metastasis is the major reason for most brain tumors with up to a 50% chance of occurrence in patients with other types of malignancies. Brain metastasis occurs if cancer cells succeed to cross the ?blood-brain barrier? (BBB). Moreover, changes in the structure and function of BBB can lead to the onset and progression of diseases including neurological disorders and brain-metastases. Generating BBB models with structural and functional features of intact BBB is highly important to better understand the molecular mechanism of such ailments and finding novel therapeutic agents targeting them. Hence, researchers are developing novel in vitro BBB platforms that can recapitulate the structural and functional characteristics of BBB. Brain endothelial cells-based in vitro BBB models have thus been developed to investigate the mechanism of brain metastasis through BBB and facilitate the testing of brain targeted anticancer drugs. Bioengineered constructs integrated with microfluidic platforms are vital tools for recapitulating the features of BBB in vitro closely as possible. In this review, we outline the fundamentals of BBB biology, recent developments in the microfluidic BBB platforms, and provide a concise discussion of diverse types of bioengineered BBB models with an emphasis on the application of them in brain metastasis and cancer research in general. We also provide insights into the challenges and prospects of the current bioengineered microfluidic platforms in cancer research.Scopu

3D Bioprinted cancer models: Revolutionizing personalized cancer therapy

After cardiovascular disease, cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide with devastating health and economic consequences, particularly in developing countries. Inter-patient variations in anti-cancer drug responses further limit the success of therapeutic interventions. Therefore, personalized medicines approach is key for this patient group involving molecular and genetic screening and appropriate stratification of patients to treatment regimen that they will respond to. However, the knowledge related to adequate risk stratification methods identifying patients who will respond to specific anti-cancer agents is still lacking in many cancer types. Recent advancements in three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology, have been extensively used to generate representative bioengineered tumor in vitro models, which recapitulate the human tumor tissues and microenvironment for high-throughput drug screening. Bioprinting process involves the precise deposition of multiple layers of different cell types in combination with biomaterials capable of generating 3D bioengineered tissues based on a computer-aided design. Bioprinted cancer models containing patient-derived cancer and stromal cells together with genetic material, extracellular matrix proteins and growth factors, represent a promising approach for personalized cancer therapy screening. Both natural and synthetic biopolymers have been utilized to support the proliferation of cells and biological material within the personalized tumor models/implants. These models can provide a physiologically pertinent cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions by mimicking the 3D heterogeneity of real tumors. Here, we reviewed the potential applications of 3D bioprinted tumor constructs as personalized in vitro models in anticancer drug screening and in the establishment of precision treatment regimens.Scopu

Active agents loaded extracellular matrix mimetic electrospun membranes for wound healing applications

Achieving the healing of chronic diabetic ulcers, burn wounds and large traumatic wounds is a major clinical challenge. A variety of approaches have been undertaken to generate skin substitutes, wound healing patches or dressings with adequate barrier properties, stability, degradation, exudate uptake capacity, antimicrobial properties, vascularization potential and wound-healing capacity. Recent approaches to support chronic wound healing focus on the development of a natural extracellular matrix (ECM) mimetic microenvironment in the wound bed. Submicron fiber-based membranes have been shown to successfully mimic many features of the ECM such as its architecture, mechanical properties, composition, and function. Electrospinning is one of the most successful methods for producing porous submicron fiber based wound coverage matrices for promoting wound healing and achieving tissue regeneration. The ECM mimetic properties of the membranes have also been improved with the use of recently developed methods such as coaxial electrospinning with other polymers. Various active components such as therapeutic agents, nanoparticles and biomolecules can be incorporated in electrospun fibers to improve ECM mimetic features and provide additional advantages like antibacterial and angiogenic properties. This article comprehensively overviews the applications of ECM mimetic electrospun membranes as structural and functional components in wound healing and the potential challenges imposed by them in a clinical point of view.Scopu