3D Perfusable, Endothelialized Tumor Model

Abstract

Metastatic cancer is a debilitating disease. Development of oncological drugs require testing on platforms that are representative of the human tumor microenvironment. Current in vitro testing systems do not accurately mimic this as they lack a consistent endothelial monolayer and controlled fluid flow. Poor quality models result in an 8% success rate for drugs in clinical trials. We propose a perfusion bioreactor system using a lyophilized 10% silk scaffold embedded with a collagen hydrogel seeded with an endothelial monolayer and cultured in vitro with physiologically accurate controlled flow. Preliminary data confirmed the development of a viable endothelial monolayer in a sterile, reperfusable system that is promising for future co-culture and in vitro oncological drug testing