Rowan University Wins $155K NCI Grant to 3D Print Bone Cancer Models

A team at Rowan University is using 3D cell bioprinting to build living models of chondrosarcoma, a rare bone cancer that does not respond to chemotherapy or radiation. The project is backed by a two-year, $155,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Why Chondrosarcoma Is Hard to Study

Chondrosarcoma arises from cartilage cells and mostly strikes the pelvis, femur, or shoulder. Surgery is the only reliable treatment. Chemotherapy and radiation rarely help. That makes it difficult to test new drugs in a lab setting. Most cancer research relies on flat cell cultures, which do not capture how tumors behave inside actual tissue.

The Rowan team, led by associate professor Andrea Vernengo, Ph.D., is trying to change that. Instead of growing cells in a plastic dish, they are depositing chondrosarcoma cells and healthy stem cells into small blocks of hydrogel. The 3D printer arranges the cells in separate ringed channels inside the gel, mimicking the spacing found in real bone tissue.

How the Bioprinting Works

Vernengo developed the technique during earlier work on cartilage repair. Co-investigator Tae Won B. Kim, M.D., an orthopaedic oncologist at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, suggested applying it to chondrosarcoma after seeing how little progress had been made on new therapies.

The hydrogel samples measure roughly one square centimeter. The printer deposits cells in clusters at controlled distances, then adjusts the gel temperature to loosen its texture. That lets the cells migrate and interact over the course of the experiment. The team will observe the cells for 30 days under a microscope, watching for signs that the stem cells have been recruited by the tumor.

Tracking the Cellular 'Conversation'

The central question is whether chondrosarcoma cells chemically re-program nearby stem cells. In theory, the tumor releases signals that draw in mesenchymal stem cells, the type responsible for building bone and cartilage. Those stem cells normally repair tissue. Around a tumor, they may switch sides. Instead of supporting healthy growth, they start releasing enzymes that break down surrounding tissue and help the cancer invade.

If the team can document that switch, they may identify chemical targets that block it. Sophia Orbach, Ph.D., will analyze RNA inside individual cells to track how the stem cells' identity changes over time. Susy Kohout, Ph.D., will look at the molecular events driving that change.

Why This Matters

Chondrosarcoma is rare, which means it receives less research funding and fewer clinical trials than more common cancers. A reliable lab model could attract more attention from drug developers. The NCI grant gives the team two years to prove that their hydrogel system captures something flat cultures miss. If it works, the approach could extend to other cancers that are similarly hard to treat in a dish.