Functional Biopsy-on-Chip (BioChip) for Personalized Medicine
The BioChip project aims to develop and validate a flexible biopsy-on-chip platform for personalized cancer therapy. The system enables long-term culture, perfusion, and live-cell imaging of patient-derived tumor biopsies in a controlled microfluidic environment. This supports more accurate, patient-specific drug testing and directly contributes to the 3V goals and precision medicine.
The project builds on a functional prototype developed under a VIA (SNN) subsidy (2025–2026), which focused on early-stage design and basic proof-of-concept (TRL 3–4). BioChip now progresses toward full platform integration, biological validation, and standardization at TRL 7. Life-Chip B.V. (Lead Applicant, SME) will coordinate the project and lead the engineering of the biopsy-on-chip system. This includes refinement of chip geometry, sealing, perfusion control, and integration with microscopy systems. The company will also implement scalable production workflows and quality control protocols, and is actively generating international standards for Organ-on-Chips within EUROoCS.
Erasmus MC (Academic Partner) brings expertise in tumor biology, DNA damage response, and biopsy culture, as developed under grant 13651 funded by KWF Dutch Cancer Society (2021-2025). The group of Dr. Dik van Gent will validate the biological fidelity of cultured tumor biopsies, using live fluorescent readouts and molecular assays under perfused conditions. Imaging data and biomarker analyses will be used to characterize drug responses over time.
Key objectives:
- Functional integration of chip, SOPs, and imaging systems
- Biological validation with real patient biopsies
- Alignment with emerging ISO/NEN standards and FAIR data management
- Adaptable design for different cancer types and donor profiles
Expected impact includes improved predictive drug testing, reduction of ineffective therapies and animal models, and economic value through Dutch Organ-on-Chip innovation. The platform supports sex- and gender-inclusive research by enabling paired studies on biopsies from male and female donors.
