3D jet writer creates the right environment to understand spread of cancer

Research has shown that most cancer deaths happen because of how it spreads – or metastasises - in the body. A drawback for cancer treatment is not being able to experiment with metastasis and eliminate what causes it to spread.

Previous studies have used a 3D printer to recreate a controlled cancer environment, but these replicas are still not realistic enough for drug screening.

“We need a much finer resolution than what a 3D printer can create,” said Luis Solorio, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Purdue University in Indiana who worked on the project with researchers from the University of Michigan.

The team of researchers - led by Dr Jacob H. Jordahl in the lab of Prof Joerg Lahann at the University of Michigan - have proposed 3D writing instead of printing. The 3D jet writer acts like a 3D printer by producing polymer microtissues as they are shaped in the body, but on a smaller, more authentic scale with pore sizes large enough for cells to enter the polymer structure.