Summary
Published in Advanced Healthcare Materials (2026), this peer-reviewed study used 3D Petri Dish® micro-molds to form scaffold-free 3D microtissues. Full citation: Stecher, Sabrina, et al. 3D Bioprinted Breast Cancer‐Stroma Model with Tailored Migration‐Permissive Bioink Reveals Impact of Adipose‐Derived Stromal Cells on Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion Dynamics
3D Bioprinted Breast Cancer‐Stroma Model with Tailored Migration‐Permissive Bioink Reveals Impact of Adipose‐Derived Stromal Cells on Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion Dynamics
Research Overview
In breast cancer, the first step toward metastasis is local invasion of surrounding tissue — yet studying how cells of the tumor microenvironment influence that step has lacked adequate 3D migration models. This work developed a migration-permissive bioink of methacrylated collagen type I and thiolated hyaluronic acid at low polymer content, enabling invasion studies inside a fully 3D bioprinted tumor–stroma model.
In a printed co-culture of metastatic MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells with adipose-derived stromal cells, real-time single-cell tracking showed that stromal cells profoundly promoted tumor cell migration and invasion — greater speed, longer migration distance, and deeper invasion into the stroma — accompanied by collagen remodeling.
Key Discoveries
- Low-polymer bioink of methacrylated collagen I and thiolated hyaluronic acid permitted cell migration in a 3D print
- Adipose-derived stromal cells increased the speed, distance, and depth of MDA-MB-231 invasion
- Single-cell tracking revealed the effect in real time, alongside collagen remodeling
