Human-cell-based innovations are transforming early cancer detection and treatment through advanced bioengineering.
Early detection is transforming the fight against cancer by allowing it to be identified when it is most curable and survival chances are greatest (1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Engineering and biofabrication of early cancer models
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A recent review from Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute, along with collaborators from other institutions, emphasizes how advancements in New Approach Methodologies and tissue engineering are providing powerful tools to explore how cancer begins.
New Approach Methodologies employ human-relevant technologies like in vitro testing, organoids, organs-on-a-chip, and computational modeling to replace, reduce, or refine animal testing.
Human-Relevant Models for Early Cancer Understanding
These laboratory-created systems reproduce the human body’s internal environment and could reveal vital insights into how cancer originates.
Almost ten years after Luiz Bertassoni and his team gained national attention for inventing a revolutionary method to 3D print blood vessels, a breakthrough recognized by Discover magazine as one of the top scientific achievements of that year, Bertassoni is now applying that foundation to study intricate cancers in ways conventional models cannot.
Leading an innovative chip-based platform that better simulates the human bone-tumor interface, Bertassoni and his multidisciplinary team are employing advanced bioengineering to design more lifelike in vitro models. This development represents a major milestone in the Food and Drug Administration’s movement away from animal testing toward systems centered on human cells.
“Detecting cancer early is one of the biggest factors for survival,” said senior author Luiz Bertassoni, D.D.S., Ph.D., director of the Knight Cancer Precision Biofabrication Hub and professor at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and the OHSU School of Dentistry. “These emerging technologies let us observe how cancer initiates and evolves, which opens possibilities for early diagnosis and even for predicting cancer initiation.”
The review was published on Monday, November 3, in the journal Nature Reviews Bioengineering.
Tissue Engineering Bridging Cancer Knowledge Gaps
Although decades of cancer investigation have advanced understanding, scientists still have limited knowledge about what unfolds in the body during the earliest phases of cancer. A primary reason for this is the challenge of accessing early-stage tumor samples, especially in organs that are difficult to reach. Patients typically seek medical help only after symptoms emerge, and by that stage, it is often too late.
Without early-stage tumor samples, it becomes challenging to identify the exact biological changes as normal tissue transitions into malignancy.
Tissue engineering is now helping close this critical knowledge gap. Technological innovations over the last decade, many pioneered at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, have enabled researchers to replicate the complexity of cancer within laboratory settings.
These models, recently prioritized as New Approach Methodologies for medical research, allow precise recreation and manipulation of the early tumor environment. This empowers researchers to test how specific genetic, cellular, or environmental factors contribute to cancer formation. The approach also aids in discovering new biomarkers, biological warning signs that could lead to earlier and more accurate cancer detection.
Integrating Biology, Engineering, and Clinical Insights
“This is an incredibly exciting period in cancer research,” said Bertassoni. “We are seeing a powerful convergence of cancer biology, engineering, and treatment strategies. There are so many promising directions emerging.”
Leading author Haylie Helms, M.S., a biomedical engineering graduate student at OHSU and a fellow of the International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection, focuses her dissertation on engineering and fabricating early cancer models, paving the way for enhanced cancer New Approach Methodologies.
Her work centers on single-cell 3D bioprinting as an instrument for early cancer detection and therapy. This technique enables the creation of detailed, realistic three-dimensional tumor models that closely resemble the in vivo environment. These models can be used to study tumor development, test responses to medications, and personalize treatment plans.
Bioprinting for Precision Cancer Interception
“We can first construct a healthy tissue and then use different tools to transform it into cancer,” Helms explained. “We can also take living cancer cells from a patient biopsy and integrate them into the model. In the laboratory, we can observe and ask, ‘Why does a precancerous lesion in one individual remain unchanged, while in another it progresses into a malignant tumor?’”
Their work shows the growing focus on “cancer interception,” intervening at the earliest possible stage, even before a tumor fully forms, to stop cancer before it begins.
“A large part of the field still concentrates on late-stage cancer,” Helms said. “Our goal is to understand and intervene at the earliest possible point.”
Reference:
- Engineering and biofabrication of early cancer models – (https://www.nature.com/articles/s44222-025-00371-w)
Source-Eurekalert