Cancer model

Advanced 3D printer will allow to study cancerous tumors more effectively

Yulia Koshkina, Naked Science

A group of researchers led by Luis Solorio from Purdue University in the USA was puzzled by the problem that at the moment there is not a realistic enough environment to study the spread of cancer in the human body and the effect of drugs on metastasis. But it is precisely the lack of knowledge in this direction that leads to such a large percentage of deaths.

Previously, researchers used conventional 3D printers to recreate organs with pathologies, but they were not realistic enough. Instead of three-dimensional printing, Solorio and his team proposed a three-dimensional "writing" technique, when the device works like a 3D printer, but is able to reproduce smaller details, creating an environment as close to reality as possible. The technology is an even more finely tuned electrospinning.

The scheme of the device (drawings from the Purdue University press release 3-D-written model to provide better understanding of cancer spread – VM).

Electrospinning is a method of creating biopolymer tissues as a result of the action of electrostatic forces on an electrically charged jet of polymer solution or melt.

Thus, scientists believe, now research on the spread of cancer cells in the body, as well as the effect of drugs on them, will reach a completely new level, significantly increasing the effectiveness of scientific research and reducing the testing period of new drugs.

Polymer model of living tissue.

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