Researchers have created a cancer model in a test tube to understand how breast cancer spreads to bones. Their work could lead to better tools for predicting breast cancer metastasis to bone.
Researchers from Tampere University in Finland and Izmir Institute of Technology in Turkey have created an in vitro cancer model aimed at understanding the mechanisms behind breast cancer’s spread to bones. These insights may help in developing advanced preclinical tools to predict bone metastasis in breast cancer cases.
Breast cancer poses a major public health issue worldwide, with around 2.3 million new cases and 700,000 fatalities annually. While about 80% of patients with early-stage breast cancer can be successfully treated if detected in time, unfortunately, many are diagnosed after the cancer has already spread, or metastasized, to other areas of the body.
Metastatic cancer is considered untreatable and is responsible for over 90% of cancer-related deaths. Currently, there are no effective in vitro models available to examine how breast cancer metastasizes to secondary sites like bone, lung, liver, or brain. However, researchers from the Precision Nanomaterials Group at Tampere University and the Cancer Molecular Biology Lab at Izmir Institute of Technology have developed a lab-on-a-chip platform that replicates the physiological conditions of a metastasis model, allowing them to study the factors that lead to breast cancer’s spread to bone.
“Breast cancer typically spreads to bones in about 53% of cases, leading to significant issues such as pain, fractures, and spinal cord compression. Our study offers a lab-based model to estimate both the likelihood and the mechanisms through which bone metastasis occurs in living organisms. This enhances our understanding of the molecular processes behind breast cancer’s spread to bones and lays the foundation for creating preclinical tools to predict the risk of metastasis,” states Burcu Firatligil-Yildirir, a postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University and the study’s lead author.
Nonappa, an Associate Professor and head of the Precision Nanomaterials Group at Tampere University, adds that creating sustainable in vitro models that accurately represent the complex environment of natural breast and bone tissues is a multidisciplinary task.
“Our findings demonstrate that we can develop physiologically relevant in vitro models by merging cancer biology, microfluidics, and soft materials. This breakthrough opens up new opportunities for creating models that predict disease progression, aid in diagnosis, and improve treatment strategies,” he explains.
The Precision Nanomaterials Group at Tampere University is focused on developing various in vitro models to study cancer metastasis and improve diagnostic methods.
