Tumor-on-a-Chip: Microfluidic Models of Hypoxic Tumor Microenvironment

Cancer is ranked as the deadliest prime health issue, albeit with mammoth efforts to panacea the ailment. To subdue the vast constraints in tumor therapy, one requires a superior cognizance of the tumor microenvironment (TME) including more sophisticated means to screen potential anticancer therapies. Hypoxia or low blood oxygen is a critical component of the TME and is significantly linked to tumor immune response, angiogenesis, metabolism, and cell proliferation. Thereby, detecting tumor hypoxia by employing cutting-edge tools, and emerging tumor-on-a-chip (ToC), is an upthrust area of research. Here, we assessed the state-of-the-art of the ToC tech, which incorporates tissue engineering, biomaterial research, microfluidics, and microfabrication in addition to profound novel contingency for fabrication and application of functional 3D in vitro tumor models for oncology research, immunotherapeutic, and screening. ToC microdevices, in particular, are competent for microscopic analysis of the interplay between tumors, immune, and cells in the TME, which are not amendable with simple tissue cultures or animal models. The difficulties in developing ToC tech for the next generation are also addressed.