Clinical and immunohistochemical studies indicate that the tumor microenvironment, including stromal and immunocompetent components, plays key roles in the control of tumor progression and response to treatment. Moreover, increased recognition is given to the importance of using human cell- based models to predict the outcome of therapeutic strategies.
The goal of the project is to engineer a 3D human organotypic model of colorectal cancer including associated tumor microenvironment components, as test system for new immune-oncology agents. The further inclusion of hepatocytes in the model in a second phase of the project will enable to investigate, along with the antitumor efficacy, also the possible liver toxicity of the therapeutic agents.