MICROFABRICATED DEVICES FOR CANCER CELL MIGRATION STUDIES

Tumor cell migration studies are of paramount importance in biological and medical research, to better understand how cancer metastasis occurs. Metastasis is a complex dynamic process in which cancer cells begin to move through their surrounding microenvironment, mainly driven by mechanical and chemical stimuli. Therefore, there is a clear gap in knowledge in the understanding of how cells move and acquire increased motile properties. Migration studies are typically performed in vitro using scratch assays or transwell inserts, techniques that are affected by several intrinsic limitations. First and foremost, they enable only “whole population” studies, and lack of indications on the early stages of migration at a "single- cell" resolution. Therefore, the need for a device that allows studying migration at this scale and resolution is critical. Microfluidics can be the enabling technology, allowing to manipulate fluids at the nano- and micro-scales, and taking advantage of the different governing forces characteristic of these scales. Microscaled devices can also reproduce an environment more faithful to the in vivo one and reduce the amounts of reagents and substances needed for the experiments. The goal of this work is to produce a microfluidic device that allows the study of the migration of Neuroblastoma cells and their interactions with other types of cells. In the initial phase, a geometry is modeled, and the device is fabricated using an innovative two-photon polymerization (2PP) technology that allows to accurately reproduce micro- to nanometric 3D structures. The final platform is produced combining 2PP technology with replica molding in polymeric materials. The device can then be used in biological studies to understand if it is indeed possible to reproduce a favorable and controllable environment to perform cell motility studies.