Penn researchers utilize ‘tumor-on-a-chip’ devices to explore cancer treatments

Researchers at Penn have published a study utilizing “tumor-on-a-chip” devices to explore potential cancer treatments and develop new models.

The research team included multiple students and faculty in Penn’s bioengineering department, along with members of the Perelman School of Medicine. This month, the group published new information regarding the mechanisms of immunotherapies, focusing on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. 

By utilizing the power of the body’s own immune system, CAR T-cell therapy aims to help patients for whom traditional treatments have been ineffective.

The group used a transparent, three-dimensional tumor-on-a-chip to investigate the interface between CAR T-cells and solid tumors, which are known to be difficult to penetrate. By transplanting tumors onto the chips, the tool replicates the microenvironment of a tumor cell while allowing researchers to directly examine CAR T-cells, identify responses, and quantify effects in both the absence and presence of drugs.  

Co-author Dan Dongeun Huh, who teaches bioengineering at Penn and serves as the principal investigator of the BIOLines Laboratory described the tumor-on-a-chip technology as “a window into the battlefield of cancer immunotherapy inside the body” in an interview with Penn Today.

He added that “we can literally watch the CAR T-cells crawl through the tumor tissue, strike their targets, and sometimes fail.” 

A primary finding in the paper was the potential of vildagliptin — which is typically used for diabetes treatment — in increasing the body’s response to malignant cells. The team noticed that, while there is initially a strong presence of CAR T-cells, the number declines over time. Vildagliptin can discourage this process by inhibiting a specific enzyme, thereby improving the overall immune response.

“[B]uilding our [tumor-on-a-chip] system is not trivial,” the researchers wrote. “[The] technology may provide a promising alternative to conventional preclinical models for these types of studies and allow us to generate human-relevant preclinical data of greater depth and breadth.”

Penn Medicine has spearheaded previous research in CAR-T cell therapies. In January 2025, Penn announced its efforts to develop FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies.