A 3D pancreatic tumor model to study T cell infiltration
Abstract
3D PDAC-TME model to observe and quantify T cell infiltration across the vasculature. In a three-channel microfluidic device, PDAC cells are cultured in a collagen matrix in the central channel surrounded, on one side, by endothelial cells (ECs) to mimic a blood vessel and, on the opposite side, by pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) to simulate exocrine pancreas. The migration of T cells toward the tumor is quantified based on their activation state and TME composition. The presence of EC-lining drastically reduces T cell infiltration, confirming the essential role of the vasculature in controlling T cell trafficking. We show that activated T cells migrate ∼50% more than the not-activated ones toward the cancer cells. Correspondingly, in the absence of cancer cells, both activated and not-activated T cells present similar migration toward the PSCs. The proposed approach could help researchers in testing and optimizing immunotherapies for pancreatic cancer.
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BibTeX
@article{mollica2026pancreatic,
title = {{A 3D pancreatic tumor model to study T cell infiltration}},
author = {Hilaria Mollica and Yi Juan Teo and Alrina Shin Min Tan and Damien Zhi Ming Tan and Paolo Decuzzi and Andrea Pavesi and Giulia Adriani},
journal = {Biomaterials Science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1039/d1bm00210d},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05776435v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A 3D pancreatic tumor model to study T cell infiltration
AU - Hilaria Mollica
AU - Yi Juan Teo
AU - Alrina Shin Min Tan
AU - Damien Zhi Ming Tan
AU - Paolo Decuzzi
AU - Andrea Pavesi
AU - Giulia Adriani
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/03
JO - Biomaterials Science
DO - 10.1039/d1bm00210d
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05776435v1
AB - 3D PDAC-TME model to observe and quantify T cell infiltration across the vasculature. In a three-channel microfluidic device, PDAC cells are cultured in a collagen matrix in the central channel surrounded, on one side, by endothelial cells (ECs) to mimic a blood vessel and, on the opposite side, by pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) to simulate exocrine pancreas. The migration of T cells toward the tumor is quantified based on their activation state and TME composition. The presence of EC-lining drastically reduces T cell infiltration, confirming the essential role of the vasculature in controlling T cell trafficking. We show that activated T cells migrate ∼50% more than the not-activated ones toward the cancer cells. Correspondingly, in the absence of cancer cells, both activated and not-activated T cells present similar migration toward the PSCs. The proposed approach could help researchers in testing and optimizing immunotherapies for pancreatic cancer.
SN - 2047-4830
ER -