A Photopolymerizable Hyaluronic Acid-Collagen Model of the Invasive Glioma Microenvironment with Interstitial Flow

Our work investigates how the tumor microenvironment drives invasion of tumor cells in glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer. Specifically, we're interested in how interstitial fluid flow driven by increased intratumoral pressures causes tumor cells to invade into the surrounding brain parenchyma. We currently use the 3D hyaluronic acid collagen system mass models, combined with MRI imaging and a computational analysis to study glioma invasion driven by interstitial fluid flow.

For the in vitro approaches, fluid flow is generated by applying pressure on the top of the TME model, mimicking interstitial fluid flow in the brain. Providing the right physical cues to replicate the tissue microenvironment is a continual challenge. Our three dimensional model uses hyaluronic acid and collagen, both found in the brain matrix, and sustained interstitial fluid flow.