OHSU Researchers Develop Innovative 3D Bioprinting and Organ-on-a-Chip Tools for Early Cancer Detection and Treatment
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute are advancing cancer detection and treatment with cutting-edge bioengineering technologies that replicate the complexity of the human body. Their new review, published in Nature Reviews Bioengineering, highlights how 3D bioprinting, organoids, and organs-on-a-chip are reshaping cancer research and bringing scientists closer to understanding and intercepting cancer at its earliest stages.
Led by Luiz Bertassoni, D.D.S., Ph.D., director of the Knight Cancer Precision Biofabrication Hub, and Haylie Helms, M.S., a graduate fellow in biomedical engineering, the study explores how these New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) enable researchers to observe how cancer forms, evolves, and responds to treatment without relying on animal testing.
“These technologies give us a window into how cancer begins and progresses,” said Bertassoni. “By mimicking human tissues and microenvironments in the lab, we can detect cancer earlier and even predict how it might develop.”
The team’s work builds on Bertassoni’s pioneering research in 3D bioprinted blood vessels, recognized nationally nearly a decade ago as one of the year’s top scientific breakthroughs. Today, his lab’s new chip-based systems recreate the bone–tumor environment, enabling researchers to study the earliest molecular and structural changes that occur during cancer initiation.
Helms’ dissertation focuses on single-cell 3D bioprinting, a tool that allows scientists to build realistic tissue models that transition from healthy to cancerous states under controlled conditions. These models help reveal why some precancerous lesions remain benign while others become malignant.
By integrating bioengineering, cancer biology, and clinical science, OHSU researchers are helping drive a shift toward “cancer interception”, identifying and stopping cancer before it forms. Their work also supports the broader biomedical shift toward human-relevant, cell-based systems prioritized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and National Science Foundation.
“This is a really exciting time in cancer research,” said Bertassoni. “Bringing together engineering and biology is unlocking questions we could never address before.”
Read more: OHSU researchers identify new tools for early cancer detection, treatment