Engineering a 3D microfluidic culture platform for tumor-treating field application
Abstract
The limitations of current cancer therapies highlight the urgent need for a more effective therapeutic strategy. One promising approach uses an alternating electric field; however, the mechanisms involved in the disruption of the cancer cell cycle as well as the potential adverse effects on non-cancerous cells must be clarified. In this study, we present a novel microfluidic device with embedded electrodes that enables the application of an alternating electric field therapy to cancer cells in a 3D extracellular matrix. To demonstrate the potential of our system to aid in designing and testing new therapeutic approaches, cancer cells and cancer cell aggregates were cultured individually or co-cultured with endothelial cells. The metastatic potential of the cancer cells was reduced after electric field treatment. Moreover, the proliferation rate of the treated cancer cells was lower compared with that of the untreated cells, whereas the morphologies and proliferative capacities of the endothelial cells were not significantly affected. These results demonstrate that our novel system can be used to rapidly screen the effect of an alternating electric field on cancer and normal cells within an in vivo-like microenvironment with the potential to optimize treatment protocols and evaluate synergies between tumor-treating field treatment and chemotherapy.
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BibTeX
@article{pavesi2026engineering,
title = {{Engineering a 3D microfluidic culture platform for tumor-treating field application}},
author = {Andrea Pavesi and Giulia Adriani and Andy Tay and Majid Ebrahimi Warkiani and Wei Hseun Yeap and Siew Cheng Wong and Roger D. Kamm},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/srep26584},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05776425v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Engineering a 3D microfluidic culture platform for tumor-treating field application
AU - Andrea Pavesi
AU - Giulia Adriani
AU - Andy Tay
AU - Majid Ebrahimi Warkiani
AU - Wei Hseun Yeap
AU - Siew Cheng Wong
AU - Roger D. Kamm
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/03
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/srep26584
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05776425v1
AB - The limitations of current cancer therapies highlight the urgent need for a more effective therapeutic strategy. One promising approach uses an alternating electric field; however, the mechanisms involved in the disruption of the cancer cell cycle as well as the potential adverse effects on non-cancerous cells must be clarified. In this study, we present a novel microfluidic device with embedded electrodes that enables the application of an alternating electric field therapy to cancer cells in a 3D extracellular matrix. To demonstrate the potential of our system to aid in designing and testing new therapeutic approaches, cancer cells and cancer cell aggregates were cultured individually or co-cultured with endothelial cells. The metastatic potential of the cancer cells was reduced after electric field treatment. Moreover, the proliferation rate of the treated cancer cells was lower compared with that of the untreated cells, whereas the morphologies and proliferative capacities of the endothelial cells were not significantly affected. These results demonstrate that our novel system can be used to rapidly screen the effect of an alternating electric field on cancer and normal cells within an in vivo-like microenvironment with the potential to optimize treatment protocols and evaluate synergies between tumor-treating field treatment and chemotherapy.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -