# University of Toronto's MInD organ-on-a-chip: breast cancer cells invade heart tissue less than liver

- Published: 2026-11-12 19:26 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Medicine
- Tags: MInD organ-on-a-chip, cancer metastasis to the heart, Multi-organ Invasion Device, PermeoTube, breast cancer invasion, cardiac resistance to metastasis, 3D-printed porous conduit, University of Toronto Radisic, hepatic cardiac co-culture, Nature Communications
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-3f850a772b5f2381afe89bc7_university_of_toronto/

**In vitro, aggressive breast cancer cells invaded engineered cardiac tissue significantly less than hepatic tissue in a multi-organ chip under flow.**

![University of Toronto's MInD organ-on-a-chip: breast cancer cells invade heart tissue less than liver](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/8c90f3da6022305a.jpg)
*NASA Headquarters, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain*

Researchers at the University of Toronto, with Professor Milica Radisic as senior author, describe in Nature Communications on nature.com a multi-organ-on-a-chip device called the Multi-organ Invasion Device (MInD). It was built to study why the ventricular myocardium is one of the least common sites of metastasis [1]. In the device, highly aggressive breast cancer cells invaded engineered cardiac tissue significantly less than hepatic tissue [1]. All experiments were carried out in vitro on engineered tissues.

Metastasis is responsible for over 90% of cancer-related deaths [1]. Resistance of the heart to metastatic colonization has been observed across various cancer types, yet it remains one of the least explored areas in cancer research [1]. The authors note that animal models differ from humans in gene expression, immune system, metabolism and tumor kinetics, while 2D cultures do not reproduce tissue architecture and biochemical gradients [1].

## How the MInD platform works

MInD is an open-well plate platform in which several organ compartments are cultured under flow [1]. The compartments are connected by PermeoTubes, 3D-printed porous conduits that support cancer cell intravasation, migration and extravasation [1]. Each is an extrusion-printed viscoelastic conduit made from granular polymeric ink, designed for multi-scale porosity, permeability and physiologically relevant mechanical stability [1]. According to the university's summary, it is made from a biodegradable elastic polymer.

In the experiments, a central compartment with breast cancer cells was connected to a cardiac compartment or to a hepatic one. The liver, a common site of breast cancer metastasis, served as the control [1].

## What the co-cultures showed

In dual-organ devices, invasion into cardiac tissue was significantly suppressed relative to hepatic co-culture [1]. In cardiac–hepatic–cancer tri-culture, the presence of cardiac tissue reduced overall invasion, and cancer cells preferentially migrated toward the hepatic compartments [1].

Cytokine profiling and RNA sequencing showed that cardiac co-culture suppressed cell metastasis and invasion while inducing immune activation [1]. Compared with hepatic co-culture, pro-metastatic and immunosuppressive cytokines were broadly downregulated. Immune-activating signals, antigen-presentation pathways via MHC class II and pro-apoptotic gene programs were upregulated [1].

The authors say the platform offers an approach for identifying organ-specific drivers of metastasis and could speed up the discovery of metastasis-inhibiting therapies [1].

## Sources

1. [nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-75833-9)
2. [EurekAlert](https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1151325)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-3f850a772b5f2381afe89bc7_university_of_toronto/