Self-Assembling 3D Mini-Tumors Are Poised to Become a New Tool for Studying Cancer

The recent Biotech Connector showcased exciting advancements in gene and cell therapies in the Frederick area. More than 80 attendees gathered in-person and online to hear experts in the field discuss their work manufacturing difficult therapies for clinical trials, reimagining the supply chain to reduce development timelines, and leveraging automation to reduce risk and save money. By capturing these advances, the Biotech Connector aims to serve as a forum that inspires partnerships and the sharing of ideas.

When snow or freezing rain starts to fall, Frederick’s roads can quickly shift from scenic to treacherous. Whether you’re driving a few miles or making a longer trek, winter weather can turn an ordinary commute into a dangerous situation, making it even more important to be prepared. When you’re prepared, you can stay safe and focus on enjoying the winter weather this season. ...

Bioengineers at NCI Frederick and Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, with external collaborators, have devised new types of 3D miniature tissues that assemble themselves and better reflect the composition of tumors in the body compared to existing models. The team aimed to complement organoids, a class of expensive, human-like models. Their creation, dubbed “MatriSpheres,” offers an inexpensive, middle-ground platform but, unexpectedly, also includes features that are unique from organoids.

It’s three minutes before the keynote at the 2025 Spring Research Festival, and the seats are filling up. Chatter thrums through the room. Somewhere within the stir, someone is talking about tumors. A voice at the back keeps mentioning malaria. Like the whirl of hushed conversations, the burgeoning audience is an amalgam.

After hours at the microscope, Sebastian Temme, Ph.D., was at a loss. The bacterial structures he’d been examining weren’t arranged the way he expected they’d be. He and his colleagues initially feared they’d done the experiment wrong, but they soon realized they’d latched onto something fascinating.