Normally, the immune system recognizes and eliminates abnormal cells. However, cancer cells can develop strategies to evade this control: they block defense mechanisms or send inhibitory signals. In this way, tumors can grow unchecked. In a collaborative study, research teams from Germany, the United Kingdom, and Hungary have tackled this challenge by creating artificial tumor models in which synthetic cells mimic immune responses. The study has now been published in the journal Nature Communications.
Figure: Cancer cells (red and blue) bind tightly to a synthetic immune cell (green).
A hybrid cell culture is formed. © Nils Piernitzki / INM
The researchers designed synthetic cells to combine with real cancer cells into three-dimensional mini-tumors, known as tumoroids. This combination of living and synthetic material relies on the cells’ natural ability to self-organize. The resulting structures depend on factors such as cell adhesion strength and the “softness” of the cell surface. It turned out that synthetic cells work particularly well when coated with a thin layer of fat, resembling the membrane of natural cells. This allows the creation of artificial tumor-immune environments and the simulation of typical signals that immune cells normally produce. Using this approach, the team can study how tumors evade the immune system – without the need for real immune cells.
“With our model, we can track how tumors trick and block the immune system,” explains Dr. Oskar Staufer from the INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials in Saarbrücken. “In the case of pancreatic cancer, a particularly aggressive type, we were able to discover a new mechanism by which the cancer selectively disables immune cells.” The study also shows that the surface properties and other physical characteristics of synthetic cells are crucial for the correct formation of tumor models. This insight opens the door to intentionally designing artificial tumor environments in the future. Looking ahead, Nils Piernitzki, first author of the study, says: “So far, we have focused on a simple experimental setup to evaluate the potential of the model. Next, we aim to replicate the tumor environment in the human body as realistically as possible.”
In the long term, this method could not only advance cancer research but also create new approaches for combining “living” and “non-living” components in innovative medical materials.
Article:
Piernitzki, N., Gao, N., Gasparoni, G. et al. Self-assembly of hybrid 3D cultures by integrating living and synthetic cells. Nat Commun 16, 11073 (2025).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-66789-3
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