Chemotaxis of Spatially Patterned T cell Populations near 3D Printed Tumors

Priming T cells with tumor RNA triggers an immune response that drives them toward the corresponding tumors. The efficacy of these treatments have been promising in the mouse model, however the fundamental driving mechanisms behind the T cells’ targeting tumors is still being investigated. To study the spatiotemporal relationships between T cell populations and nearby tumors, we employ a method of 3D bioprinting into a bed of jammed microgels. With this capability, we can systematically study chemotactic responses of the T cells to the tumor by printing radially symmetric Saturn-like structures of which the center is made of mouse glioma and the rings are made of T cells. Data on the temporal evolution of T cells targeting the tumor will be shown, in which biased motion toward the tumor correlates with a diffusion time for cytokines to leave the tumor and trigger T cell targeting. This spatiotemporal relationship allows the determination of the cytokine diffusion coefficient.