A 3D lab tool to see how solid tumors squeeze and spread
Official title: Microfluidic platform for solid tumor mechanics and invasion
Funded at Cornell University · NIH-11286769 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project builds a tiny 3D device that measures how solid tumors push, deform, and let cancer cells break away, which could help people with cancers that form solid tumors.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cornell University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ithaca, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2017 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $368,968 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA221346-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11286769 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with solid tumors (for example breast, lung, pancreatic, or other cancers that form masses) would find the results most relevant.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with blood cancers (leukemia, lymphoma), non-solid conditions, or benign lesions that do not form invasive solid tumors are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
Researchers are developing a small microfluidic 'rheometer' that grows tumor pieces in a realistic 3D setting so they can watch how tumors generate stress and how individual cancer cells escape. The device works with live optical imaging to measure mechanics at single-cell and spheroid levels instead of averaging over whole samples. By testing different tissue-like materials and forces, the team aims to identify the physical rules linking tumor stiffness and pressure to invasion. Those laboratory findings are intended to guide future drug tests and help predict which tumors are more likely to spread.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better ways to predict which solid tumors are likely to invade and to faster lab tests of drugs that block invasion.
How similar studies have gone: Related microfluidic and atomic force techniques have given useful lab insights, but a high-throughput 3D rheometer for single cells and spheroids is relatively novel and remains experimental.
Where this research is happening
-
Cornell University
Ithaca, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wu, Mingming — Cornell University
- Study coordinator: Wu, Mingming
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Dual-targeted DOTA CAR T cells with image-guided monitoring for solid tumors
A Penn team is developing a controllable CAR T cell therapy for solid tumors that can be tracked with PET imaging and guided by targeted agents to improve safety and effectiveness.
-
Improving patient access to gynecologic cancer trials at UVA
This grant helps UVA boost enrollment in gynecologic and solid tumor trials so more women with gynecologic cancers can access cutting-edge therapies.
-
Tuning CAR T cells to work better in solid tumors
A cancer-immunotherapy approach uses specially trained CAR T cells designed to attack solid tumors more effectively and safely.
-
Dual-target CAR T therapy with PET tracking for solid tumors
A controllable CAR T-cell treatment that doctors can track with PET scans and direct at solid tumors in adults whose cancers express folate receptors.
-
Atlas of the tumor environment in childhood cancers
This project will map the cells and signals surrounding childhood solid tumors like neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and Wilms tumor to find weaknesses that could help children with high-risk disease.
-
KITv-enhanced CAR T cells for mesothelin-positive solid tumors
This work develops engineered CAR T cells that use a KITv switch to help treat people with mesothelin-expressing solid tumors, including pleural cancers.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.