Automated canceR-on-A-CHip orgaN-specific metastatIc spreaD

Introduction

Despite the improvements in cancer treatments, diagnostic tools, and prevention/early detection strategies, cancer is still a major public health burden as one of the six leading causes of death worldwide. In 2020, 90% of the 10 million deaths registered out of 19.3 million new cancer diagnoses were associated not with primary tumors but with the secondary ones generated by the metastatic process.

Challenges in Understanding Metastasis

The complex time-dependent chain of events and cascades of biophysical and biochemical factors regulating tumor metastasis cannot be replicated using conventional in vitro cell models (such as transwell invasion and scratch/wound healing assays) nor in vivo animal models.

The scientific and medical communities are striving to better understand the steps of metastatic spreading to devise strategies to stop its occurrence, especially in pediatric oncology. This is particularly critical in the case of Neuroblastoma, which is the most common and difficult to treat among tumors of preschool age, accounting for 15% of pediatric oncology deaths.

Proposed Solution: ARACHNID

To solve these limitations, we propose ARACHNID, a unique, multiplexed, automated, and increased-throughput multi-organ on a-chip platform conceived around the complex process of cancer metastatic spread.

The project's potential for breakthrough innovation resides in its unique capabilities, promising to:

• Accelerate research
• Reduce costs
• Contribute to the development of more effective cancer treatments

Project Goals

The ARACHNID project aims to explore and prove the technical-commercial potential of our proprietary tumor-metastasis-on-a-chip (TMOC) platform.

This initiative will start from pediatric tumors and extend the application to adult cancers, involving Biogenera, a biotechnological SME operating in the pharma NB domain, as a testbed and early adopter.