Project 1: PDAC-on-Chip Platform

Today, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancer types worldwide with a five-year survival rate of only 13%. A hallmark of this highly aggressive cancer is early metastasis and pronounced resistance to conventional chemotherapy. These detrimental features are largely driven by the tumor microenvironment (TME), characterized by a large cellular heterogeneity. The main cell types within the tumor stroma include pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), and a variety of immune cells that form a highly fibrotic and immunosuppressive TME. These immunosuppressive components foster tumor progression and further limit therapeutic efficacy. A major challenge in cancer drug discovery is the lack of physiologically relevant preclinical models. Current preclinical approaches – including human 2D cell cultures and mouse tumor models – fail to fully recapitulate the complexity of the fibrotic and immunosuppressive TME of human PDAC, limiting their predictive value for drug responses.
In our research project, we are developing an immune-competent 3D tumor microenvironment-on-chip model of PDAC. This biochip system integrates tumor cells with stromal and immune components to better recapitulate the complex in vivo situation. The platform enables the investigation of tumor–stroma–immune interactions as well as the evaluation of novel therapeutic strategies in a physiologically relevant setting. By incorporating key features of the PDAC TME, this model represents a promising tool for translational cancer research and preclinical drug testing.