Abstract A47: Microfluidic in vitro platform for imaging metastasis: Perfusable microvascular networks and cancer cells on a microfluidic chip

Abstract In vivo imaging has provided significant insights to different mechanisms involved in cancer metastasis. An in vitro experimental platform that reproduce cancer microenvironment with blood vessels, tumors, immune cells and others would allow more detailed experiments with more experimental conditions can complement the animal studies. We describe a reproducible, in vitro approach to grow perfusable 3D microvascular networks on a microfluidic chip. These engineered blood vessels exhibit morphological and biochemical markers of tight junctions, apical-basal polarity, basement membrane deposition, and upregulated markers in response to inflammatory cues. A novel microfluidic device was designed and tested for real-time imaging of various steps of cancer metastasis. Perfusable microvascular networks formed within the microfluidic device reproduce the 3D cellular niche, facilitating high-resolution live imaging of cancer cell extravasation. This approach provides a platform for developing physiologically complex but experimentally straightforward human disease models and holds potential for medical and pharmaceutical applications in drug screening and basic cancer biology. Citation Format: Noo Li Jeon, Sudong Kim, Lee Hyunjae, Chung Minhwan. Microfluidic in vitro platform for imaging metastasis: Perfusable microvascular networks and cancer cells on a microfluidic chip. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Invasion and Metastasis; Jan 20-23, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(3 Suppl):Abstract nr A47.