# A 3D Bioprinted Pancreatic Cancer Model Using Collagen-Gelatin Methacrylamide-Alginate Bioinks to Mimic the Desmoplastic Microenvironment

## TL;DR

Researchers created a 3D bioprinted model of pancreatic cancer to better understand and test treatments for this aggressive disease.

## Contribution

A novel 3D bioprinted model using collagen-based bioinks to mimic the desmoplastic microenvironment of pancreatic cancer.

## Key findings

- Cancer cells in the bioinks showed high paclitaxel resistance and expressed desmoplasia markers.
- The bioinks effectively mimic the extracellular matrix of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
- The model has potential for improving drug screening and treatment approaches for pancreatic cancer.

## Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the cancers
with the
least favorable survival prognosis worldwide. It is characterized
by a high desmoplastic stroma rich in collagen I, which regulates
pancreatic cancer cells’ behavior. There is a critical need
to develop desmoplastic 3D models for preclinical testing. In this
study, bioinks that imitate the biochemical characteristics of pancreatic
ductal adenocarcinoma were developed to observe the influence that
the desmoplastic extracellular matrix has on cancer cells. The bioinks
were made of gelatin methacrylamide, alginate, and different concentrations
of collagen I. Cancer cells were able to proliferate in all bioinks,
presenting high paclitaxel resistance and a high expression of desmoplasia
and extracellular matrix remodeling markers. The designed bioinks
can play a crucial role in developing more clinically relevant cancer
models for chemotherapeutic drug screening. Furthermore, they have
significant potential for studying the influence of desmoplasia and
for improving advanced treatment approaches for pancreatic cancer.