Development of a 3D bioprinted model for breast cancer

Details

Supervisors

Christophe Pierreur ; Christine Dupont

Faculty

Faculté des bioingénieurs

Degree label

Master [120] : bioingénieur en chimie et bioindustries, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Breast cancer continues to pose a significant health challenge worldwide, affecting millions of women and prompting extensive scientific research to improve therapeutic outcomes. Despite advancements in surgical techniques and chemotherapies, these treatments often demonstrate limited effectiveness, partly due to the constraints of conventional research models. Traditional 2D models fail to accurately replicate the complexity of the tumour microenvironment (TME), which is crucial in promoting tumour growth, immune evasion, and drug resistance. In response, emerging 3D hydrogel models have shown promise by better mimicking in vivo cellular organisation. However, these models encounter difficulties in incorporating multiple cell types while maintaining structural integrity and cell viability, due to the side effects of conventional crosslinking methods. This study aims to address these challenges by developing a bioink suitable for the coculture of fibroblasts and cancerous cells while being compatible with the innovative and cell inoffensive UNION technology for the crosslinking process. During the research journey, maintaining the viability and proliferation of fibroblasts in the hydrogel matrix and effectively implementing the cross-linking method has been challenging. Based on insights gained from various experiments, this study suggests enhancements to these models to overcome the identified difficulties.