A team led by Professor Weiqiang Chen at NYU Tandon School of Engineering has created a miniature “leukemia-on-a-chip” device that could reshape how blood cancer treatments are tested and personalized. This microscope slide-sized chip is the first to successfully replicate both the physical structure of bone marrow and a functional human immune system in a lab setting.
This innovation arrives as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rolls out new guidelines to reduce reliance on animal testing. As per Medical Express, the chip presents a timely and powerful alternative, aligning with the FDA’s push for more human-relevant preclinical testing models.
A New Era for CAR T-Cell Therapy Testing
CAR T-cell therapy—an advanced immunotherapy for blood cancers—has shown life-saving potential by engineering a patient’s own immune cells to target and kill cancer. However, nearly half of patients relapse, and many suffer from serious side effects like cytokine release syndrome. One reason for this inconsistency is the lack of accurate preclinical models.
Traditional animal models fall short in mimicking human immune responses and are time-intensive. Standard lab tests, meanwhile, cannot replicate the complex bone marrow environment where immune and cancer cells interact. This new device Leukemia-on-a-Chip addresses both gaps by simulating three key bone marrow regions: blood vessels, marrow cavity, and the bone’s outer lining.
Real-Time Observation of Immune and Cancer Cell Interaction
The chip begins to self-organize after researchers load it with patient-derived bone marrow cells. These cells naturally produce structural proteins such as collagen and fibronectin, building a realistic microenvironment. Using advanced imaging techniques, the team watched as CAR T-cells traveled through vessels, identified leukemia cells, and killed them—offering real-time insight never before possible.
“We observed immune cells patrolling their environment, making contact with cancer cells, and killing them one by one,” said Chen. The study also revealed a “bystander effect,” where CAR T-cells activated nearby immune cells not directly targeted by the therapy, potentially enhancing treatment efficacy and side effects.
Replicating Clinical Scenarios and Improving CAR T Designs
The researchers tested different clinical scenarios within the device—complete remission, resistance, and relapse. They found that fourth-generation CAR T-cells, designed with advanced features, outperformed earlier versions, even at lower doses.
In contrast to animal models that take months to prepare, this chip assembles in under a day and supports experiments for up to two weeks. The device allows clinicians to simulate patient-specific conditions and evaluate therapy responses before beginning actual treatment.
A Step Toward Personalized Cancer Therapy
To better evaluate performance, the team developed a “matrix-based analytical and integrative index,” which measures immune response across multiple dimensions. This comprehensive approach can more accurately predict which therapies are most likely to succeed for individual patients.
“This technology could eventually allow doctors to test a patient’s cancer cells against different therapy designs before treatment begins,” Chen explained. “Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, we could identify which specific treatment would work best for each patient.”
The research team included members from NYU Tandon, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and the University of Pennsylvania.