Metastasis – the process by which cancer spreads from its original site to other parts of the body – remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Understanding the intricacies of this process is crucial for developing more effective treatments, but recreating the complex environment in which metastasis occurs has proven a significant challenge for researchers. Now, bioengineers at Rice University have developed a new platform, called the Advanced Tumor Landscape Analysis System (ATLAS), designed to overcome these hurdles and provide a more realistic model for studying how cancer cells spread.
The ATLAS platform allows scientists to generate large quantities of cancer cell clusters that closely mimic those found in the bloodstream during metastasis. This breakthrough, published in the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials, offers a new avenue for investigating the mechanisms that enable cancer cells to survive and thrive as they travel through the body. The research team, led by Michael King, Rice’s E.D. Butcher Professor of Bioengineering, believes this improved modeling capability will accelerate the development of targeted therapies to prevent the spread of cancer.
“Metastasis is still poorly understood, largely because we’ve lacked the laboratory tools to accurately recreate this incredibly complex biological process,” explained King, who is likewise a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Scholar and special advisor to the provost on life science collaborations with the Texas Medical Center. “ATLAS addresses this gap by providing a scalable and cost-effective way to study cancer cell clusters in a controlled environment.”
Building on Superhydrophobic Surfaces
The foundation of ATLAS lies in previous work by the King lab utilizing superhydrophobic surfaces – materials that strongly repel water. When droplets containing cells are placed on these surfaces, they naturally coalesce, encouraging cells to adhere to each other and form three-dimensional clusters. This mimics the way cancer cells clump together as they detach from the primary tumor and enter the bloodstream. The study details how the team refined this approach using 3D-printed microwell arrays treated to achieve the same water-repelling effect seen in nature, like on a lotus leaf.
“The key is creating a surface that’s rough at the nanoscale and then coating those tiny bumps with a non-wetting substance, such as Teflon or wax,” said Alexandria Carter, a doctoral student in the King lab and the study’s first author. “We’ve achieved this for the first time through 3D printing, making the method easily scalable and adaptable for other research labs.” This scalability is a significant advantage over previous methods, which were often time-consuming and expensive.
Cancer Cell ‘Escorts’ and the Role of Stromal Cells
Beyond the development of the platform itself, the researchers used ATLAS to gain new insights into the dynamics of metastatic cancer clusters. They focused on prostate cancer cells, creating clusters both with and without cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) – noncancerous cells frequently found within the tumor microenvironment. Their findings revealed that cancer clusters containing CAFs were significantly more likely to survive the stresses of circulation.
“We discovered that these CAFs act as ‘escorts’ for the cancer cells, actively helping them withstand the harsh conditions they encounter in the bloodstream,” Carter explained. “These support cells protect the cancer cells and allow them to continue growing even even as circulating.” This finding suggests that targeting CAFs could be a promising strategy for preventing metastasis, potentially leading to a new generation of prostate cancer drugs.
From Lab to Launch: Bionostic and the Future of Metastasis Research
The potential of ATLAS extends beyond fundamental research. Carter, having completed the Rice Innovation Fellows program, is now working to commercialize the platform through a startup company called Bionostic. The Rice Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Lilie) supported this transition, providing training and resources to translate research into real-world solutions. Lilie helps researchers navigate the process of bringing innovative technologies to market.
“A prerequisite for bringing research beyond the bench is to be deeply passionate about the problem space, and Carter is the perfect example of an exceptionally driven and committed engineer willing this idea into reality,” said Kyle Judah, Lilie executive director.
The development of ATLAS represents a significant step forward in our understanding of metastasis. By providing a more realistic and accessible model for studying cancer cell clusters, this platform promises to accelerate research and ultimately improve outcomes for patients battling this devastating disease. The team is currently exploring the application of ATLAS to other cancer types and investigating the specific mechanisms by which CAFs protect cancer cells.
The next step for Bionostic is to refine the ATLAS platform for broader accessibility and begin offering it as a service to other research institutions. The company anticipates initial availability in early 2025.
This article is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult with a qualified healthcare professional for any health concerns or before making any decisions related to your health or treatment.
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