Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and its incidence increases with ageing. Understanding the mechanisms of tumour growth rely in further advances to unveil cancer-causing agents, drug screening and in the development of personalized therapies. Standard 2D in vitro models and in vivo animal models have undoubtedly contributed to the development, screening and validation of anti-cancer drug candidates. Nevertheless, recent studies suggest that the correspondence between these models and successful clinical trials is critically low, which reinforces the need of a deeper understanding of tomurogenesis.1 Therefore, 3D models integrating tissue engineering (TE) strategies with microfluidic technology have sparked the expectation on physiologically relevant microfluidic in vitro models. These state-of-the-art dynamic models innovatively adapt to morphological changes in tissue structure and function over time, providing a level of precision control that could not be achieved before.2
In this study, we aim at establishing a 3D microfluidic model that enables the reconstitution of physiological functions of microvascular tissue that emulates the human colorectal tumor microenvironment. This model will be established via a microfluidic device with an encapsulating hydrogel compartment comprising a co-culture system of HCT-116 colorectal cancer cells and human intestinal microvascular endothelial cells. The strategy used will enable us to recreate the native tissue organization of colon cancer, and assess the delivery efficiency of targeted nanoparticles and chemoattractants.