Application of a microfluidic chip-based 3D co-culture to test drug sensitivity for individualized treatment of lung cancer

Individualized treatment is a promising clinical strategy for lung cancer, and drug sensitivity testing is fundamental to this scheme. We aimed to develop an effective drug sensitivity test platform to support individualized treatment. We designed a microfluidic chip-based, three-dimensional (3D) co-culture drug sensitivity test platform. A mono-lung cancer cell line, a mixture of lung cancer and stromal cell lines, and cells from fresh lung cancer tissues were cultured in 3D under continuous media supplementation, mimicking the actual tumor microenvironment in vivo. The cells were treated with anti-cancer drugs according to a gradient concentration generator inside the chips to screen the appropriate chemotherapy schemes. We successfully cultured cell lines or primary cells with this device. We also smoothly assayed the sensitivities of different anti-cancer drugs in parallel and accurately screened appropriate-dose, single and combined-drug chemotherapy schemes for eight patients. Our microfluidic device is a simple, reliable, and high-throughput platform to test drug sensitivity. It would be possible for chemotherapists to screen the appropriate chemotherapy schemes to guide individualized treatment in lung cancer.