Tools for Discovery & Engineering Better Medicines: Bioprinted Cancer Models
Goals
Students will be joining a team of continuing students in reconstructing a 3D model of a patient’s local tumor site in a computer-aided design software that could be used to control the spatial positioning of multiple printer heads. Bioinks will be designed and tested by team members using biomedical and mechanical principles in order to print both normal tissue and cancer-esque tissues. The 3D printed models will be optimized to mimic the biological microenvironments by biomedical engineers. Mechanical mapping of the printed hydrogels will be accomplished by a subsystem mechanical transducer that will integrate into the 3D printer. Students will apply mass transport equations along to predict viable drugs and exam these drugs via experiments. Additionally, the inclusion of coculture cell systems will be developed to mimic different tissue types and microenvironments.
Issues Involved or Addressed
The proposed 3D-BioCMMplatform, will provide a new opportunity for drug discovery and personalized medicine for cancer treatment. To recapitulate the natural organization of physiological systems, 3D printing of biological material can provide highly resolved architectures with multiple cell types within printed constructs. A mechanically-transducing printer will also enable vast potential for new research in soft material bioprinting toward engineering cellular behavior.
