Biofabricated gradients to study melanoma tumor progression in defined microenvironments (B09)

• Subject Area: Biomaterials ; Hematology, Oncology ; Mechanics
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 326998133

The project aims to create in vitro microenvironments with defined gradients to mimic melanoma tumor environments. These gradients affect melanoma cell behavior, impacting survival, proliferation, and migration. The project will optimize bioprinting methods, focusing on the development of two-component mixers to control local material composition. It will study the effects on melanoma cells and fibroblasts, with an emphasis on the influence of mechanical gradients on cell response. Mechanical testing and computer simulations will help improve and predict cell-matrix interactions. The results will be relevant for understanding the role of gradient tissue models in studying tumor progression.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 225: From the Fundamentals of Biofabrication towards Functional Tissue Models
• Applicant Institution: Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
• Project Heads: Professorin Dr.-Ing. Silvia Budday, since 1/2022; Professor Dr. Tomasz Jüngst; Dr. Rafael Schmid, since 1/2026