Micro-3D printing powers cancer organoid research

Advances in cancer research increasingly depend on the ability to replicate the body's complex biology at a microscale. Organoids – miniaturized, three-dimensional tissue models – have become essential tools for studying disease and testing new therapies due to their ability to closely mimic human tissues. However, creating the intricate microfluidic devices and detailed structures needed to support this research poses significant design and manufacturing challenges.

This is where micro-precision 3D printing comes into play. By enabling rapid prototyping and production of devices with unprecedented accuracy and complexity, this technology empowers scientists to overcome previous limitations in organoid and cancer model development. In this interview, John Kawola, CEO of Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF), discusses how BMF's advanced technology is redefining the possibilities in biomedical research. With its incredible precision and flexibility, micro 3D printing is helping researchers make big strides in personalized medicine, targeted cancer therapies, and the development of next-generation disease models.

What is the overall mission of BMF?

I’ve been working in the 3D printing industry for over 30 years, dating back to the late 90s when the technology was just getting off the ground. I’ve seen firsthand how 3D printing can be used as an alternative to traditional manufacturing methods, such as machining or molding, and how the technology has been an agent of innovation across industries.

In my current position as the CEO of micro 3D printing company Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF), I'm exploring new applications for 3D printing, such as in life sciences, medical technology and medical devices, and dental. BMF is the world leader in advanced additive manufacturing solutions based on Projection Micro Stereolithography (PµSL) technology, which allows us and our customers to produce parts at micro sizes with high precision and accuracy. We provide support from prototype to production of parts with a combination of ultra-high resolution, accuracy, and precision that only micro 3D printing can provide.

The FDA’s shift away from animal testing marks a major turning point for research. How do you see 3D printing accelerating the adoption and development of organoids?

I think that micro 3D printing is going to be particularly valuable for the development of organoids, also known as microfluidic chips, due to the technology’s ability to quickly manufacture devices with high precision, accuracy and resolution. Building a microfluidic device using traditional methods is time consuming and costly. For example, laminating a microfluidic chip is a multi-step process that involves cutting the desired features into layers and then bonding individual layers together to form the chip. Injection molding can produce large quantities for testing, but the tooling can be expensive and take weeks – or even months – to arrive. Other methods also limit the ability to build in the complex, 3D channels that these chips require. Micro 3D printing is one of the only manufacturing solutions that can achieve that level of detail on such a small scale.

What is the current perception of using 3D printing in biomedical research and development (R&D)?

With trends of miniaturization and personalization continuing across life sciences and healthcare, we’re seeing more engineers and product designers turn to micro 3D printing to overcome design challenges. 3D printing is known for its ability to rapidly iterate on product design, and many have worked the technology into their labs for prototyping. However, today we’re seeing printers being brought in more as a tool for small to mid-volume production as it not only speeds up the design process, but accelerates the development of innovative medical solutions too. Biomedical scientists are often looking to make their potentially life-changing ideas a reality, and using 3D printing can help them get there.

What are some of the biggest technical challenges when designing for microscale biological systems, and how does BMF hope to address them?

Where tools or devices require micron-level features, micro 3D printing is often the only viable option that can also accommodate the necessary precision and accuracy. It allows for a quicker pathway from prototyping to production, especially when end products are single use or personalized. In biomedical applications, choosing the right materials is also critically important. Materials often need to be biocompatible, autoclave sterilizable and offer higher flexibility than comparable materials.

At BMF, we help scientists, engineers and product designers develop medical solutions by combining their expertise with our technology, and we offer flexible materials with unique features for specialized applications as we see this as a growing need.

Can you walk us through how 3D printing enables design, prototyping, and optimization of cancer organoids?

Organoids can be difficult to develop due to the small scale and specificity required and, while 3D printing can produce intricate parts, not all 3D printers can create small components with the fine features and tight tolerances at the required resolution and desired speed. For example, organoids have distinctive features that require accuracy, such as micro-channel networks that mimic blood vessels. BMF’s PμSL technology increases design freedom and supports greater device complexity. The technology allows for fast processing without being limited to low-precision applications compared to other 3D printing platforms. Microfluidic device designers need both fast processing speeds and ultra-precision to develop and design these devices.

3D printing can help with the creation of diverse tissue models, such as for liver and heart functionalities, lung cancer, endometrial cancer, and more, and the high-precision and accuracy of micro-3D printing processes allows researchers to build customized organoids for their specific testing needs.

Your team worked on a liver cancer treatment device that achieved 183x higher drug concentrations – can you share more about the inception and impact of that work?

The interventional radiology team at City of Hope Cancer Center Duarte elected BMF’s technology to design an intertumoral catheter to deliver targeted high-dose treatments for liver cancer. The team was searching for a way to treat cancer beyond the limitations of traditional catheters, in which medication could only be delivered intravenously (IV).

BMF’s printer helped the research team design and produce a catheter that includes 0.4 mm sideholes and finely detailed barbs, which couldn’t be developed with traditional design methods due to the precision level needed for those features. With this catheter, medications can be delivered directly to the liver at a significantly higher level – in fact, early results showed that the catheter can deliver 183x higher drug concentrations compared to standard IV methods.

Delivering high-dose drugs directly to liver tumors has the potential to offer life-saving treatment options for patients, and this method has promising implications for targeted and personalized cancer treatments.

What lessons did you learn from that project that could apply to other cancer types or therapeutic delivery methods?

While still in pre-clinical stages, this research showcases the shift in the way scientists are tackling problems. They’re looking at how miniaturized technology can make a big impact for patient care. For example, another BMF customer used micro 3D printing to develop a medtech device for skin cancer treatments that combined microfluidics and microneedles, collecting interstitial fluid for a unique type of liquid biopsy. They turned to BMF to 3D print the caps and lids to their duo needles. They needed a part with tiny channels to hold the needles at a precise distance apart with accuracy and repeatability and in biocompatible materials.

Because many medical devices need to be personalized or single use, many researchers are turning to 3D printing to make these devices in low to mid-volumes because it’s more cost effective than traditional methods. It’s great to see how the industry never gives up on finding better ways to treat disease and improve results for patients.

Beyond organoids, where else do you see micro-precision 3D printing making a transformative impact and what technological advancements are on the horizon that could further support innovation?

I expect that that we’ll see more researchers bring 3D printing into their labs, especially as it becomes a proven way to aid innovation in life sciences. Pharmaceutical companies can certainly reap the benefits of micro 3D printing as they look to bring organoids into the drug development process or to study new therapies, such as microneedle vaccine patches, during R&D. There will also likely be a continued focus on how 3D printing can accelerate research across science, in order to bypass high expenses and time-consuming in vivo studies.

We’ve also recently launched our first dual resolution printer, the microArch D1025. This hybrid printer offers more flexibility allowing users across industries and applications to 3D print 10 µm or 25 µm resolution or in hybrid mode with both resolutions in different layers. The improved automation and an open materials system is compatible with unique materials for healthcare needs, so technological innovations on the 3D printing side will certainly help support innovation in cancer research and beyond.

Explore more of the latest news, reviews, and resources in our Accelerating Cancer Research Feature here.

John Kawola is the Chief Executive Officer-Global Operations of Boston Micro Fabrication (BMF). He has more than two decades of business leadership experience across the additive manufacturing, 3D printing, and materials science industries. BMF is focused on introducing and scaling micro-3D printing technology to a range of industries that demand a high level of resolution and precision.