England (Commonwealth Union) – Bowel cancer has been linked to a variety of factors such as diet, inflammatory conditions and genetic factors. A healthy diet filled with fruits and vegetables, particularly a high fiber diet, has been known to reduce the risks of cancers in digestive tract. The emergence of many new technologies has given hope to many types of cancers.
Recent findings from the University of Bristol have indicated that bowel cancer patients may be able to make use of a new 3D bioprinting technology that would utilize their own cells to make replications of the complex cellular atmosphere of solid tumors in 3D models. The study was published in Biofabrication would permit clinicians to treat the models, known as spheroids, with chemotherapy drugs and radiation to assist them in knowing how individuals show resistance to therapies.
Most present therapies aim to shrink tumors via a mix of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, depending on the stage of the cancer and type of tumor. The heterogenous nature of bowel tumors mean that chemotherapy drugs have inconsistent results among different patients.
The study saw the formation of a new 3D bioprinting platform with increased content light microscopy imaging and processing. The application of a mixture of bioinks and colorectal cancer cells, where researchers indicated that they could replicate tumors in 3D spheroids.
Lead author of the study Professor Adam Perriman, Professor of Bioengineering from the University of Bristol, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and founder of the cell therapy company CytoSeek, said: “Clinically predictive models which allow clinicians to identify how well tumours respond to drugs before they are administered in patients, are still an unmet need. Two-dimensional (2D) cell monolayer culture remains the standard for modelling in vitro drug effectiveness and safety. However, its poor in vivo predictive capability inhibits its use as a tool for drug discovery, drug repositioning and personalised medicine.”
