Read Time: 4 minutes
Takeaways:
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The μPharma “lab-on-a-chip” platform rapidly predicts cancer cell sensitivity to targeted therapy drugs through AI-driven analysis, potentially enabling same-day treatment decisions for children with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL).
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The platform automatically collects and analyzes patients’ cancer cells at the microscale, delivering results in less than four hours compared to conventional methods requiring multiple days.
Impact: This technology may help pediatric patients receive faster, more targeted treatments, reducing harmful side effects, and improving long-term outcomes.
Scientists at the University of Utah (the U) have developed a new “lab-on-a-chip” device that uses artificial intelligence to rapidly predict cancer cell sensitivity to targeted therapies for children with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), an aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancer.
Researchers say the tool, which is not yet used in clinical settings, may help reduce unnecessary treatments and side effects by quickly identifying which therapies a patient’s cancer cells are sensitive to. The device, called μPharma, delivers results in under four hours rather than many days—offering a potential pathway to same‑day precision medicine when every minute counts.
The platform identifies a patient’s drug‑response profile without directly exposing the patient's cancer cells to drugs. Using digital microfluidics to move tiny droplets across the chip and automate the labor-intensive liquid-handling steps, it reduces the number of cells and reagents required, minimizes human error, and speeds up the process. Reagents are substances or compounds added to a system to trigger a chemical reaction or test the presence of other substances.
T‑ALL is a challenging subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common childhood cancer. While complete remission rates have improved, many survivors experience long‑term effects from intensive chemotherapy. Rapidly determining drug response could help clinicians personalize treatments sooner, reducing exposure to ineffective therapies and side effects. For these patients, quickly identifying the most effective treatment can be lifesaving.
“Innovation in treatment selection is a pressing need within pediatric malignancies,” says Luke Maese, DO, pediatric oncologist at Huntsman Cancer Institute and associate professor of pediatrics at the U. Maese treats children with leukemia who could benefit from advancements like μPharma. “Personalized treatment selection accomplished in ‘real-time' will be part of the future of cancer therapeutics, and μPharma represents an encouraging step in that direction.”
In a study published in Med, scientists also demonstrated that μPharma accurately predicted responses to two targeted therapies currently being investigated for T‑ALL—dasatinib and venetoclax—and revealed a previously unrecognized link between drug response and a key molecular marker for T‑ALL.
“Our team has worked hard to develop this technology, and seeing it perform well is a key step toward bringing it into the clinic to help patients.”
Yue Lu, PhD
“Our team has worked hard to develop this technology, and seeing it perform well is a key step toward bringing it into the clinic to help patients,” says Yue Lu, PhD, an investigator and member of the Experimental Therapeutics Program at Huntsman Cancer Institute and assistant professor of molecular pharmaceutics at the U. The project is a collaboration between Lu and Alphonsus Ng, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the U and co-leader of the DigiPharma laboratory, along with researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania.
The platform can detect differences in drug susceptibility at the level of individual cancer cells. This is important because if a particular drug is effective for some but not all a patient’s cancer cells, the surviving cancer cells could bounce back. By analyzing drug response at the single-cell level, it could help doctors identify medications that target every part of a patient’s cancer, potentially improving long-term outcomes.
“If we can rapidly and accurately monitor the sensitivity of cancer cells and tailor treatment appropriately, we believe it can significantly improve outcomes,” says Ng. “The next step is validation of this technology using primary leukemia cells in a realistic clinical environment.”
A clinician would place a small sample of a patient’s cancer cells into the device. Inside, the cells are held between two plates that are spaced just wider than the thickness of a human hair. Electric currents precisely move tiny droplets of chemicals to and from the cells, fully automating lab processes that are usually time and labor-intensive.
“The next step is validation of this technology using primary leukemia cells in a realistic clinical environment.”
Alphonsus Ng, PhD
This approach makes key molecules linked to drug susceptibility visible inside the cells. A machine learning model then examines these molecules, their locations within cells, and cell shape to predict which drugs may be effective for each patient.
Reflecting on the potential for safer, more precise care, Makala Pace, PharmD, BCOP, MBA, pharmacy director at Huntsman Cancer Institute acknowledges the immense benefits μPharma could bring. She notes, “A tool that can predict drug response in hours and help clinical teams prioritize therapies with the best chance of benefit—while streamlining care and minimizing unnecessary toxicity for our youngest cancer patients—is exactly the kind of precision we strive for in oncology pharmacy practice.”
The research was funded by institutional start-up funds from the U, including internal supplements provided through the Immunology, Inflammation & Infectious Disease (3i) Initiative and Center for Metabolic Health.
The critical research happening every day at Huntsman Cancer Institute is supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute, including cancer center support grant P30 CA042014, as well as Huntsman Cancer Foundation.
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Huntsman Cancer Institute
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About Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah is the National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center for Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. With a legacy of innovative cancer research, groundbreaking discoveries, and world-class patient care, we are transforming the way cancer is understood, prevented, diagnosed, treated, and survived. Huntsman Cancer Institute focuses on delivering the most advanced cancer healing and prevention through scientific breakthroughs and cutting-edge technology to create pioneering cancer treatments beyond the standard of care today. We have more than 400 open clinical trials and more than 300 research teams studying cancer. More genes for inherited cancers have been discovered at Huntsman Cancer Institute than at any other cancer center. Our scientists are world-renowned for understanding how cancer begins and using that knowledge to develop innovative approaches to treat each patient’s unique disease. Huntsman Cancer Institute was founded by Jon M. and Karen Huntsman.
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About University of Utah Health
University of Utah Health is the state’s only academic health care system, providing leading-edge and compassionate care for a referral area that encompasses 10 percent of the US, including Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and much of Nevada. A hub for health sciences research and education in the region, U of U Health has a $492 million research enterprise and trains the majority of Utah’s physicians, and more than 1,670 scientists and 1,460 health care providers each year at its Colleges of Health, Nursing, and Pharmacy and Schools of Dentistry and Medicine. With more than 20,000 employees, the system includes 12 community clinics and five hospitals: University Hospital, Huntsman Mental Health Institute, Huntsman Cancer Hospital, University Orthopaedic Center, and the Craig H. Neilsen Rehabilitation Hospital. For 15 straight years, U of U Health has ranked in the top-tier of US academic medical centers in the rigorous Vizient Quality and Accountability Study.