Development of a 3D microfluidic platform for dynamic compression of tumor spheroids

Solid tumor stress caused by the rapid growth of tumor cells and abnormality of vascular vessels has long been associated with a poor prognosis of cancer. However, understanding of tumor mechanics has been limited largely to single cells under static compressive loads. In this study, we have developed a high-throughput microfluidic platform to study tumor spheroids under well-controlled dynamic compressive loads. The effect of compressive forces on invasion characteristics of a triple-negative malignant breast tumor spheroid (MDA-MB-231 cell line) was studied using the developed microfluidic platform.