At the core of this proposal is the fabrication of a hydrogel-based orthotopic breast tumor-on-a-chip model that mimics the specificity of the human mammary gland in terms of architecture and cell composition. To achieve this, a separate tumor-on-a-chip model and a breast-on-a-chip model will be developed and subsequently merged. The key characteristics of the tumor-on-a-chip model are a predefined spatial distribution of cell spheroids and a perfusable network of channels. The breast-on-a-chip model combines a mammary gland specific architecture with mammary gland specific cells.

The models will be used to test cancer therapies, specifically commercially available chemotherapeutic drugs and T cells created within the INCITE project.

The main tool of the project will be the NanoOne multi-photon lithography (MPL) system from UpNano GmbH. Photosensitive materials, hydrogels as well as standard photopolymers, will be used to fabricate 3D structures. Microfluidic chips will either be bought or made via PDMS casting, 3D printing or similar. For analysis, tools that are available at TU Wien and UpNano will be used.