There is no “one-size-fits-all” treatment for patients living with cancer. Cancer occurs when normal cells in the body genetically mutate and transform into abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably.

In most cases, these cancer cells form a solid mass of tissue called a tumour. The genetic changes that cause a tumour can influence its composition, so two people may have the same type of cancer but different types of tumours. A treatment may then work for one patient but not another.

Tumour-on-a-chip technology enables us to recreate features of an individual patient’s tumour outside the body and test different treatments. The chips are biomedical devices small enough to fit into the palm of a hand. They contain tiny channels, called microfluidic systems, through which nutrient-rich fluids can flow to support tumour growth.

The technology is promising but difficult and expensive to manufacture. We have developed a simple, cost-effective way to build chips containing microfluidic systems, with the goal of making the technology more accessible.

We are also now exploring the use of this technology for childhood brain cancer.

Creating tumours outside the........

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