Cancer-associated Fibroblasts Co-Culture-on-a-Chip Model

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a crucial role in the tumor microenvironment by promoting tumor cell proliferation, drug resistance, invasion, and metastasis through the secretion of proteins such as TGF-β, HGF, and IL-6. Additionally, CAF is involved in various pathways that support tumor development, such as blood and lymphatic vessel formation, extracellular matrix remodeling, immunosuppression, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of tumor cells. As a result, targeting CAF has become a promising approach in the development of anticancer drugs.

• Organoid epithelial-mesenchymal transition
The expression level of the mesenchymal marker vimentin is significantly up-regulated in the co-culture system, and the organoids showed stronger epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
• Enhanced drug resistance
Compared with the organoid mono-culture model, the organoids in the CAF co-culture system showed stronger drug resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs.

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