3D printing is helping researchers investigate cancer at the cellular level.
Researchers at Rowan University are using 3D cell printing and biomaterials to recreate controlled environments where bone cancer cells can interact with other cells, giving scientists a new way to investigate how those interactions may influence tumor behavior.
The research focuses on chondrosarcoma, a rare cancer that develops in bone and can be difficult to treat.
Building a 3D Environment for Cancer Research
Traditional laboratory research often studies cells on flat, two-dimensional surfaces.
But cells inside the human body exist in a much more complicated three-dimensional environment where they constantly interact with neighboring cells and surrounding materials.
Andrea Vernengo, Ph.D., associate professor of chemical and biomedical engineering at Rowan University, is using biomaterials and specialized 3D printing technology to create more realistic environments for studying those interactions.
Her laboratory suspends cells inside soft materials known as hydrogels and then uses a specialized 3D printer to produce small cellular structures for research.
Hundreds of Thousands of Cells in Each Printed Structure
The scale may be small, but the biological complexity is significant.
The laboratory produces hydrogel blocks measuring approximately one cubic centimeter, with each containing roughly 500,000 to one million cells.
Researchers can then study these structures using imaging and biochemical analysis.
This approach allows scientists to observe cellular communication in an environment that better represents the three-dimensional conditions found inside human tissue.
Understanding Chondrosarcoma
One major focus of the research is chondrosarcoma.
Researchers want to understand how communication between cancer cells and mesenchymal stem cells may affect tumor behavior and potentially influence whether the cancer becomes more aggressive.
Rather than simply observing cancer cells independently, the 3D model allows researchers to investigate how different types of cells communicate with one another.
Understanding these signals could eventually help scientists identify new therapeutic targets or strategies.
Why 3D Printing Matters
3D printing gives researchers greater control over how cells and biomaterials are arranged.
Instead of relying entirely on conventional cell cultures, researchers can create carefully designed experimental environments and repeatedly modify them to investigate different biological questions.
This makes additive manufacturing more than a technology for producing physical products.
In biomedical laboratories, 3D printing is increasingly becoming a research platform capable of helping scientists recreate aspects of human biology.
From Manufacturing to Medicine
Additive manufacturing is already transforming industries ranging from aerospace and automotive manufacturing to construction.
Biomedical research represents another rapidly developing frontier.
The ability to combine living cells, hydrogels and precise digital fabrication could provide researchers with increasingly sophisticated tools for understanding disease and evaluating potential treatments.
Rowan University’s work demonstrates how 3D printing can operate at an entirely different scale — not producing giant structures or metal components, but creating tiny environments containing living cells.
The technology that builds machines, implants and structures is also helping scientists investigate some of the most complex processes occurring inside the human body.
