Simulating the Tumor Microenvironment for Immune Cell Interactions via Deployable Extrusion Bioprinting

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has emerged as a promising tool for constructing tumor microenvironments (TME) for cancer modelling in vitro. Realizing the translational impacts of 3D bioprinting for cancer research necessitates innovation in bioprinting workflows which integrate affordability, user-friendliness, and biological relevance. Herein, we demonstrate bioArm, a simple, yet highly effective extrusion bioprinting platform, which can be folded into a carry-on pack, and rapidly deployed between bio-facilities. BioArm enabled TME reconstruction in the form of 3D core-shell tumoroids with cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). Tumoroids showed the presence of a heterogenous population of CAFs with de novo synthesized extracellular matrices, demonstrating more in vivo-like characteristics compared to conventional 2D co-culture models. Embedding the 3D printed tumoroids in an immune cell laden collagen matrix permitted tracking of the interaction between immune cells and tumoroids, and subsequent immunotherapy treatments. Our deployable extrusion bioprinting workflow could significantly widen the accessibility of 3D bioprinting for gaining mechanistic understanding in TME, and for developing strategies in cancer drug testing.