Modelling the biophysical barriers to drug delivery in cancer

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Drugs that are injected into cardio-vasculature system the body in order to treat diseases such as cancer, encounter a number of biophysical barriers before ever reaching the diseased area. These include the endothelial barrier - the physical walls of the vasculature system, through which a drug must first pass effectively. Once beyond the vasculature system, the drugs encounter a mechanically rigid, oxygen depleted diseased matrix that can present another physical and chemical barrier to effective drug treatment. These biophysical barriers block and reduce the effectiveness of drug treatment, leading to treatment failure and disease re-occurrence. Yet their presence in the body, drug screening in the laboratory does not take into account these critical physical barriers leading to drugs that are effective in the lab, but fail once in clinic. This project will develop microfluidic, organ-on-chip technology to model the biophysical barriers encountered by chemotherapeutics in cancer treatment. In particular, devices will be designed and engineered to culture human microvasculature in order to unravel vasculature - drug interactions. In addition, these next-generation models will be used to investigate new therapeutics, such as microbubbles, as an alternative, improved route to drug delivery compared to conventional methods in treating cancer.