CNR Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnology

2 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Immunology and Infection

Microfluidic Co-Culture Models for Dissecting the Immune Response in in vitro Tumor Microenvironments

Adele De Ninno¹, Francesca Romana Bertani¹, Annamaria Gerardino¹, Giovanna Schiavoni², Martina Musella³, Claudia Galassi³, Fabrizio Mattei², Antonella Sistigu^3,4, Luca Businaro¹

¹CNR Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnology, ²Dept. of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, ³Istituto di Patologia Generale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, ⁴Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Unit, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute

In the age of immunotherapy and single-cell genomic profiling, cancer biology requires novel in vitro and computational tools for investigating the tumor-immune interface in a proper spatiotemporal context. We describe protocols to exploit tumor-immune microfluidic co-cultures in 2D and 3D settings, compatible with dynamic, multiparametric monitoring of cellular functions.

Cancer Research

Co-Culture In Vitro Systems to Reproduce the Cancer-Immunity Cycle

Nicoletta Manduca^*1, Ester Maccafeo^*1, Adele De Ninno², Antonella Sistigu^1,3, Martina Musella¹

¹Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia Traslazionale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, ²CNR Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnology, ³Fondazione Policlinico Universitario ‘A. Gemelli’ - IRCCS

Here, we detail a simple, fast, and reliable multiparametric flow cytometry- and tumor-on-a-chip-assisted protocol to monitor and characterize the steps constituting the cancer-immunity cycle. Indeed, a thorough understanding of the interplays between cancer and immune cells provides critical insights to outsmart tumors and guide clinical care.