Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine
Volume 12, Issue 1, January 2016, Pages 69–79
Wei Zhu, MSa,Benjamin Holmes, MSa,Robert I. Glazer, PhDb,Lijie Grace Zhang, PhDa, c, d,
a Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
b Department of Oncology, and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
c Department of Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
d Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
Abstract
Bone is one of the most common metastatic sites of breast cancer, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, in part due to an absence of advanced platforms for cancer culture and study that mimic the bone microenvironment. In the present study, we integrated a novel stereolithography-based 3D printer and a unique 3D printed nano-ink consisting of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles suspended in hydrogel to create a biomimetic bone-specific environment for evaluating breast cancer bone invasion. Breast cancer cells cultured in a geometrically optimized matrix exhibited spheroid morphology and migratory characteristics. Co-culture of tumor cells with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells increased the formation of spheroid clusters. The 3D matrix also allowed for higher drug resistance of breast cancer cells than 2D culture. These results validate that our 3D bone matrix can mimic tumor bone microenvironments, suggesting that it can serve as a tool for studying metastasis and assessing drug sensitivity.
Keywords
3D printing;Bone cancer metastasis;Nanomaterial;Breast cancer
Full text is available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1549963415001884