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An LSU-created system for growing breast cancer tumors mimics the way tumor cells grow and interact to drive drug resistance, offering scientists a faster and more effective way to test new cancer treatments.

The patented 3D culturing system allows cancer cells to organize themselves and behave the same way they would in a tumor, said Adam Melvin, a former LSU associate professor of chemical engineering and co-inventor. The system represents a big advance over the 96-well plates -- flat trays with multiple 鈥渨ells鈥� that serve as test tubes -- commonly used in drug discovery.

鈥淭he problem with using well plates is that the cancer cells form loose attachments. The cells just huddle together like fire ants trying to survive a flood,鈥� Melvin said. 鈥淪ometimes the growths are so large that the drug being tested can鈥檛 reach the interior cancer cells.

鈥淥ur technology is different in that we go to a much smaller scale. Our system allows us to control the size and shape of the cells鈥� formation. We grow our own little tumors.鈥�

The easy-to-use culturing system allows researchers to employ a single device to grow hundreds of microtumors and test each of them against a drug.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like the difference between assigning individual grades to each person in a 300-person class or giving everyone the class average,鈥� Melvin said.

The scientists worked with LSU鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization to patent their discovery. Their invention enters a rapidly growing field as pharmaceutical and biotech firms scramble to create bioengineered human disease models that can overcome drug candidate failure rates of 90 percent or more. Some estimates placed the global 3D cell culture market at $1.9 billion in 2022, with demand expected to soar to $10 billion in 2032.

The LSU cell culturing system combines advances in microfluidic and hydrogel technology. The hydrogel imitates the material that surrounds and supports cancer cells in body tissue and serves as a scaffold for growing the cells. The LSU system differs from commonly used biologically derived hydrogels like collagen, which require expensive processing techniques.

鈥淭he LSU system features a unique hydrogel, made with inexpensive, off-the-shelf resins,鈥� said co-inventor John Pojman, chair of the LSU Department of Chemistry. 鈥淗owever, the cost difference isn鈥檛 as important as the system鈥檚 ability to grow actual tumor replicas in an environment that more closely resembles what happens inside the body than cells grown in well plates.鈥�

The LSU hydrogel also offers another major advantage. It is temporary, like the wooden forms used in casting concrete sidewalks. Once the concrete solidifies, the form is removed. In the cell culturing system, once the cancer cells form and organize, the hydrogel degrades, leaving only the tumor.

With other systems, researchers must either add a reagent, or chemical compound, to dissolve the hydrogel or leave the cancer cells suspended in the hydrogel, like fruit cocktail trapped in gelatin.

Melvin and Pojman said their technology has also drawn interest from researchers who study other diseases, including brain, lung and pancreatic cancer. Researchers have even asked about using the system to grow cells from a person鈥檚 ear to study deafness.

鈥淭his new technology could revolutionize cancer research and drug discovery,鈥� said Robert Twilley, LSU vice president for research and economic development. 鈥淭he 3D cell culturing system represents a significant advance in understanding the complexities of breast cancer and developing more effective treatments, a priority of LSU鈥檚 Scholarship First Agenda.鈥�

About LSU鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization

LSU鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization (ITC) protects and commercializes LSU鈥檚 intellectual property. The office focuses on transferring early-stage

inventions and works into the marketplace for the greater benefit of society. ITC also handles federal invention reporting, which allows LSU to receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year in federally funded research, and processes confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements, and other agreements related to intellectual property.

For licensing inquiries, contact techlicensing@lsu.edu