Microvascularized tumor organoids-on-chips: advancing preclinical drug screening with pathophysiological relevance

Recent developments of organoids engineering and organ-on-a-chip microfluidic technologies have enabled the recapitulation of the major functions and architectures of microscale human tissue, including tumor pathophysiology. Nevertheless, there remain challenges in recapitulating the complexity and heterogeneity of tumor microenvironment. The integration of these engineering technologies suggests a potential strategy to overcome the limitations in reconstituting the perfusable microvascular system of large-scale tumors conserving their key functional features. Here, we review the recent progress of in vitro tumor-on-a-chip microfluidic technologies, focusing on the reconstruction of microvascularized organoid models to suggest a better platform for personalized cancer medicine.

Automated summary

The recent advancements in organoids engineering and organ-on-a-chip microfluidic technologies have allowed for the recapitulation of the major functions and structures of microscale human tissue, including tumor pathophysiology. However, challenges still exist in replicating the complexity and heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment. The integration of these engineering technologies may offer a potential strategy to overcome limitations in reconstituting the perfusable microvascular system of large-scale tumors while conserving their key functional features.