New Device for Testing Immunotherapies on Tumor Fragments

Immuno-oncology, a rapidly developing field that harnesses the body’s immune system to attack cancers, lacks effective methods of testing potential therapies. In addition to animal studies, tiny bits of tumors are placed, along with chemical compounds being tested, within multiwell plates and watched over using a number of techniques. While this has allowed the field of immuno-oncology to progress quite well, the tumor fragments being tested don’t survive for long on their own, the complexity of the actual tumor is not well represented, and how the immune cells interact with the tumor can’t be controlled. Researchers at Draper, a research, and development firm, have created a microfluidic device that is able to catch tumor fragments and expose them to different immunotherapies while more closely replicating the tumor’s natural environment.