Microfluidic immunotherapy screening on a core needle biopsy

We propose to develop a microfluidic device for direct personalized immunotherapy screening on a core need biopsy. Since a number of various immunotherapy have been approved for cancer treatment, it is crucial to select the right treatment among many immunotherapy options for a successful cancer therapy. Although tissue microfluidic devices have shown potential as chemotherapy screening tools, none are suitable for personalized immunotherapy screening. In this project, we will 1) develop a ‘core needle biopsy’ microfluidic cassette and protocols for functional immune assays and 2) validate the microfluidic approach for screening immune checkpoint blockade therapy with core needle biopsies from mouse and PDX breast tumors. We believe the microfluidic immunotherapy screening on individual cancer patients’ tumor core biopsies will provide solid guidance to oncologists in choosing the right immunotherapies for their patients. Project Number: 1R21CA297495-01A1 | Fiscal Year: 2025 | NIH Institute/Center: National Cancer Institute (NCI) | Principal Investigator: Steve Lee | Institution: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, Chicago, IL | Award Amount: $386,279 | Activity Code: R21 | Study Section: Special Emphasis Panel[ZRG1 BBBT-T (82)] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11232252