An on-chip model for investigating the interaction between neurons and cancer cells

Abstract

Emerging evidence suggests that there is extensive interaction between neurons and cancer cells. However, few model systems have been developed to investigate nerve–cancer cell interaction in vitro. Herein, a high-throughput microfluidic compartmentalized chip is developed to examine the interaction between neurons and cancer cells. The nerve bundles appear to provide a biophysical support for cancer cells and guide their directional migration. The cancers that have high levels of perineural invasion in clinical observations exhibit greater migration along neurites in the on-chip model. The on-chip model allows the screening of compounds which inhibit cancer cell migration along neurites in vitro. The interruption of neurites, the pharmacological blockade of nerve–cancer signaling, effectively attenuates the migration of cancer cells along neurites. This on-chip model provides a useful platform to investigate the dynamic interaction between cancer cells and neurons and can dramatically broaden the chemical space in screening neuron-related drugs for cancers.