Using 3D bioprinting to create pancreatic cancer tumour models

Pancreatic cancer is one of the worst types of cancer, having an extremely grim prognosis: 75% of cases die within one year, while 90% die within 5 years from diagnosis. Pancreatic tumours are extremely challenging to treat, because of their very stiff desmoplastic stroma, which acts like a drug barrier, making current therapeutic options ineffective.

Recent advancements in 3D bioprinting allows us to design complex structures in vitro, containing a variety of cells, which can aid in the better understanding of the diseases, as well as help design and test more effective medicines. However, developing a hydrogel-based material that is both biocompatible and 3D printable poses a number of challenges.

This project explores several ways of recreating the tumour microenvironment using different techniques of bioprinting, such as extrusion bioprinting, inkjet droplet bioprinting, self-healing suspension bath bioprinting and Matrigel bioprinting. The aim for the 3D bioprinted constructs is to be characterised in terms of drug resistance, hypoxic gradients, cell organisation and interaction while maintaining extended cell viability.