Cancer technology – latest developments

3D printing model of gastric cancer

A research project led by Korean and US researchers has led to the development of an in vitro gastric cancer model by leveraging 3D bioprinting technology and tissue-specific bioink incorporating patient-derived tissue fragments.

As part of the project, cancer tissues were encapsulated within a stomach-derived decellularised extracellular matrix (dECM) hydrogel, artificially enabling cell-matrix interactions. By co-culturing these tissues with human gastric fibroblasts, the researchers could successfully mimic cancer cell-stroma interactions, thereby recreating the in vivo tumour microenvironment in vitro.

According to the researchers, this model demonstrated the ability to preserve the unique characteristics of gastric tissues from individual patients by replicating both cell-stroma and cell-matrix interactions and exhibited high specificity in predicting the patient’s anticancer drug responses and prognosis. Furthermore, the model’s gene profiles related to cancer development, progression, and drug response closely resembled those of patient tissues, surpassing the performance of conventional PDX models.

It was noted that the rapid fabrication method of this model via bioprinting enables drug evaluation within two weeks of tumour tissue extraction from the patient. “This efficient platform is anticipated to significantly contribute to the development of personalised cancer treatments,” said the authors.

Engineered bacteria for cancer therapeutics

Bacteria-based therapies hold great promise for cancer treatment due to their selective tumour colonisation and proliferation. However, clinical application has been hindered by the need for safe, precise control systems to regulate local therapeutic payload expression and release. 

Researchers in China have now developed a near-infrared (NIR) light-mediated PadC-based photoswitch (NETMAP) system based on a chimeric phytochrome-activated diguanylyl cyclase (PadC) and a cyclic diguanylate monophosphate-dependent transcriptional activator (MrkH). This system allows for the controlled expression of therapeutics in engineered oncolytic bacteria, and demonstrated significant anti-tumour efficacy in multiple tumour models with different levels of immunogenicity, including colon cancer, breast cancer and colorectal cancer. The researchers say the approach offers a non-invasive, customisable method for targeted solid tumour therapy and will have broader applications in engineered living therapeutics.

Promising nanotech in ovarian cancer care

Magnetic nanoparticles in the shape of a cube sandwiched between two pyramids represent a breakthrough for treating ovarian tumours and possibly other types of cancer, say researchers. Oregon State University researchers say the study underscores the importance of shape in magnetic nanoparticle design and that the findings will potentially revolutionise treatments that use heat to damage or kill cancer cells.

“With currently available magnetic nanoparticles, the required therapeutic temperatures – above 44^oC – can only be achieved by direct injection,” said Oleh Taratula, professor of pharmaceutical sciences and senior author of the latest study. “And those nanoparticles have only moderate heating efficiency, which means you need a high concentration of them in the tumor – higher than systemic administration can usually achieve – to generate enough heat.” The new nanoparticles show exceptional heating efficiency when exposed to an alternating magnetic field. When the particles accumulate in cancerous tissue after intravenous injection, they’re able to quickly rise to temperatures that weaken or destroy cancer cells. That means an ovarian cancer patient could receive an intravenous injection and have her tumor stop growing following one 30-minute, non-invasive magnetic field session. Because the particles’ heating efficiency is so strong, the necessary concentration of nanoparticles can be achieved without a high dosage, limiting toxicity and side effects.

Ultra fast PCR helping brain tumour surgery

A novel tool for rapidly identifying the genetic ‘fingerprints’ of cancer cells may allow surgeons to more accurately remove brain tumours while a patient is in the operating room.

The new study describes the development of ultra-rapid droplet digital PCR, or UR-ddPCR, which the team at New York University found can measure the level of tumour cells in a tissue sample in only 15 minutes while also being able to detect small numbers of cancer cells, as few as five cells per square millimeter. The researchers say their tool is fast and accurate enough, at least in initial tests on brain tissue samples, to become the first practical tool of its kind for detecting cancer cells directly using mutations in real time during brain surgery. 

UR-ddPCR produced the same results as standard ddPCR and genetic sequencing in more than 75 tissue samples from 22 patients at NYU undergoing surgery to remove glioma tumours. “Our study shows that ultra-rapid droplet digital PCR could be a fast and efficient tool for making a molecular diagnosis during surgery for brain cancer, and it has potential to also be used for cancers outside the brain,” said study co-senior investigator Gilad Evrony.

Predicting immunotherapy outcomes

Researchers have developed an advanced multiomics data integration package that could help address the substantial variability in immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy effectiveness in cancer treatment. The Chinese researchers developed an innovative R package called integrated machine learning and genetic algorithm-driven multiomics analysis (iMLGAM), which establishes a comprehensive scoring system for predicting treatment outcomes. 

Their research demonstrated that iMLGAM scores exhibit superior predictive performance across independent cohorts, with lower scores correlating significantly with enhanced therapeutic responses and outperforming existing clinical biomarkers. Detailed analysis revealed that tumours with low iMLGAM scores display distinctive immune microenvironment characteristics, including increased immune cell infiltration and amplified antitumour immune responses. The researchers also identified Centrosomal Protein 55 (CEP55) as a key molecule modulating tumour immune evasion, mechanistically confirming its role in regulating T cell-mediated antitumour immune responses. They concluded that these findings not only validate iMLGAM as a powerful prognostic tool but also propose CEP55 as a promising therapeutic target, offering novel strategies to enhance ICB treatment efficacy. The iMLGAM package is freely available on GitHub.