Developing Tumor-on-a-Chip Systems with 3D Printing Technology

Cancer remains a significant global health challenge, necessitating advanced in vitro models for understanding relevant mechanisms and developing effective treatment approaches. Considered as a new paradigm of in vitro models, tumor-on-a-chip technology has emerged with the potential to recapitulate tumor microenvironments. Accordingly, 3D printing technology has been increasingly utilized to construct tumor-on-a-chip models, offering notable capability of generating 3D physiological and pathological features. This article examines 3D printing technology-driven research progress on developing tumor-on-a-chip systems, featuring enhanced capability for representing pathophysiological complexity as well as supporting in-depth biomedical analysis. The technological foundations of 3D printing for generating tumor-on-a-chip systems are introduced, including various printable materials and diverse printing mechanisms. The typical biomimetic and supporting components generated via 3D printing are examined as key elements to improve the performance of tumor-on-a-chip systems. The applications of 3D printing-enabled tumor-on-a-chip systems are illustrated with studies of specific cancer types. Finally, the future outlook of tumor-on-a-chip systems with 3D printing technology regarding technological development and biomedical impact is discussed.