Page 20 - manuscript_ijb05590

This system demonstrated remarkable tumor-suppressive efficacy, anti-metastatic

activity, and pro-regenerative properties in post-surgical applications. Building on this

concept, Li et al. 110 developed a fish gelatin (F-Gel)/berberine (BBR) composite
scaffold for post-operative gastric cancer therapy, which exhibited potent tumor growth

inhibition and excellent biocompatibility, further validating the potential of hybrid 3D-

printed microfluidic scaffolds in precision oncology and regenerative medicine. These

advances highlight the transformative role of convergent biofabrication technologies in

creating multifunctional implants for cancer therapy and tissue repair.

While integrated 3D-microfluidic bioprinting platforms have revolutionized

preclinical drug development and therapeutic delivery, their clinical impact extends

beyond treatment to transformative diagnostic capabilities. The same engineering

principles enabling physiologically relevant tumor models and targeted

nanotherapeutics—precision fluidic control, biomimetic spatial design, and patient-

specific customization—now empower the development of next-generation liquid

biopsy platforms. By transitioning focus from therapeutic intervention to early

detection and real-time monitoring, these technologies address a critical unmet need in
oncology: minimally invasive, longitudinal tracking of tumor dynamics to guide

precision therapy adjustments.

5. 3D-Printed Microfluidic Platforms for Cancer Diagnostics and Biomarker

Detection

While tissue biopsy remains the clinical gold standard for tumor characterization,

its invasiveness limits serial disease monitoring, especially when sample volumes are

insufficient for diverse molecular testing 111 . Liquid biopsy approaches analyzing

circulating tumor-derived components—including circulating tumor cells (CTCs),

circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), exosomes, and proteomic signatures—provide

minimally invasive access to real-time tumor dynamics 112,113 . State-of-the-art 3D-

printed microfluidic systems have achieved unprecedented precision in tumor

biomarker isolation through bioinspired architectures that recapitulate key features of

19