Researchers Are Printing Bone Cancer Cells into Gel Cubes to Study a Tumor That Ignores Chemotherapy and Radiation

Chondrosarcoma is a bone cancer with an unusual problem: the standard tools of cancer medicine do not work on it. Chondrosarcoma cells release chemical signals that attract mesenchymal stem cells, the cells normally responsible for producing bone, cartilage, and other tissue. A specialized 3D printer deposits cells within a stack of ringed channels inside the gel, placing tumor cells and stem cells in separate clusters at controlled distances from each other. A bone cancer arising from abnormal cartilage growth, and one of the most common primary bone malignancies. Using a 3D printer to place tumor cells and mesenchymal stem cells at controlled distances inside a hydrogel to study how they communicate over 30 days.