Risk-on-a-chip device could help prevent breast cancer

(Credit: Purdue University)

The device consists of a small plastic case with several thin layers and an opening where a portion of tissue can be inserted. Risk factors for cancer are simulated within the micro environment, mimicking what happens in a living organism.

“We want to be able to understand how cancer starts so that we can prevent it,” said Sophie Lelièvre, a professor of cancer pharmacology at Purdue.

To develop the device, Lelièvre teamed up with Babak Ziaie, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue. Their work so far has focused on two particular risk factors for cancer: oxidative stress and tissue stiffness. The former is a chemical reaction brought on by lifestyle (diet, alcohol, smoking etc) that can alter the genome of the breast and increase the risk of cancer. Risk-on-a-chip mimics oxidative stress by producing those molecules in a cell culture system that simulates the breast ducts.