Academic Journal of Engineering and Technology Science, 2026, 9(2); doi: 10.25236/AJETS.2026.090210.
Zeyao Li
School of Optical-Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093, China
Tumor invasion and metastasis represent major causes of treatment failure and patient mortality in oncology. Three-dimensional tumor spheroid models offer a more physiologically relevant system for mimicking the microstructure and biological behavior of solid tumors. Thus, developing a platform capable of dynamically monitoring spheroid invasion is of significant importance for elucidating metastatic mechanisms and accelerating anti-cancer drug discovery. However, conventional invasion models are often inadequate for real-time, dynamic observation and quantitative analysis, while existing microfluidic models still exhibit limitations in studying three-dimensional tumor invasion. To address these challenges, this study developed a tumor invasion chip based on microfluidic technology, which integrates three-dimensional tumor spheroid culture with chemokine concentration gradient generation. This platform enabled dynamic monitoring of tumor spheroid invasion over a 48-hour period. The results revealed distinct invasion patterns among breast cancer cell lines with varying invasive capacities and demonstrated that epidermal growth factor (EGF) promotes spheroid invasion in a dose-dependent manner. This chip provides a novel technical approach and experimental platform for investigating the mechanisms of cancer cell metastasis.
Microfluidic chips; chemotactic invasion; 3D cancer spheroid culture
Zeyao Li. Microfluidic-based Technology for Fabricating Tumor Invasion Chips. Academic Journal of Engineering and Technology Science (2026), Vol. 9, Issue 2: 74-80. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJETS.2026.090210.
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