(A) Annotated exploded view of the ASTEROIDS device. (B) Photograph of the assembled ASTEROIDS device shown from the side (i) and top (ii) with blue and red dye-perfused water flowing through the side chambers. Scale bar = 1 cm. (C) Conceptual diagram of the ASTEROIDS model for the culture of tumor microenvironment. Created in BioRender. (D) Simulated velocity field and shear stress within the ASTEROIDS device at flow rate = 60 μL/min. Credit: iScience (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.114236

Cancer research laboratory tests can now be done using micro-physiological systems mimicking human physiology, allowing greater predictive accuracy for human patient responses, thanks to an international scientific team led by HonorHealth Research Institute and the University of Arizona. Their findings come from a simulated radiation treatment for lung cancer. The study is published in the journal iScience.

"We can be more precise and accurate than we’ve been. And eventually, better understand some of the mechanisms that drive the complex human tumor microenvironment (TME) interactions and how to guide treatment," said Frederic Zenhausern, Ph.D., MBA, senior author of the paper, a senior scientist at HonorHealth Research Institute, and professor and director of the Center for Applied NanoBioscience and Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Phoenix.

"Studying complex human responses … requires advanced in vitro (laboratory) systems," according to the paper. "Here, we present the Apparatus to Simulate Tumor Environment and Reproduce Organs in an Interactive and Dynamic System (ASTEROIDS), which integrates three-dimensional cell culture with organ-on-chip technology. These results demonstrate that ASTEROIDS faithfully reproduces TME-level organization and responses, establishing its feasibility as a pre-clinical human model."

While the simulation described in the paper focused on lung cancer, the technology can be applied to any solid tumor, Dr. Zenhausern said, "This platform will play a significant role moving forward."

This technology aligns with new FDA policies, under the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, to reduce animal testing in the development of advanced molecular therapies and other drugs with more human-relevant methods using multiple approaches, including AI-based computational models, organ-on-chip, and organoid testing in laboratory settings (so-called New Approach Methodologies or NAMs).

ASTEROIDS technology is also under joint product development with Japan’s Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Inc. for future commercialization to improve the efficacy of translating the results of pre-clinical models to human clinical outcomes.

Characterization of ASTEROIDS

The 3D nature of ASTEROIDS combines cell culture and organ-on-chip technology, supports long-term cell viability and tissue barrier integrity, enables cell-to-cell communication and tumor-immune crosstalk, and provides a human-relevant platform for therapy testing.

"This TME provides a unique biological landscape, including multiple properties through its three-dimensional cellular morphology, the biochemical signaling governing the interaction of its multi-cellular components, and the mechanical forces occurring during tumor initiation, progression, invasion, and dissemination," the paper said.

The three-dimensional design enables the ASTEROIDS platform to act in a spatial organization that closely mimics the actions and reactions of a living organism, according to the paper, which states, "We showed that the ASTEROIDS allowed the mechanical and biochemical interactions between the different cells, thus recapitulating key tissue hallmarks commonly described with in vivo (living cell) observations."

Publication details

Jerome Lacombe et al, A human 3D culture-organ-on-chip platform for investigating the tumor microenvironment response to ionizing radiation, iScience (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.114236

Journal information: iScience

Provided by HonorHealth Research Institute

Citation: 3D chip platform enables animal-free testing in cancer research (2026, January 27) retrieved 27 January 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-3d-chip-platform-enables-animal.html

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