Micro Immune Response On-chip (MIRO) models the tumour-stroma interface for immunotherapy testing

Abstract

Immunotherapies are beneficial for a considerable proportion of cancer patients, but ineffective in others. In vitro modelling of the complex interactions between cancer cells and their microenvironment could provide a path to understanding immune therapy sensitivity and resistance. Here we develop MIRO, a fully humanised in vitro platform to model the spatial organisation of the tumour/stroma interface and its interaction with immune cells. We find that stromal barriers are associated with immune exclusion and protect cancer cells from antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, elicited by targeted therapy. We demonstrate that IL2-driven immunomodulation increases immune cell velocity and spreading to overcome stromal immunosuppression and restores anti-cancer response in refractory tumours. Collectively, our study underscores the translational value of MIRO as a powerful tool for exploring how the spatial organisation of the tumour microenvironment shapes the immune landscape and influences the responses to immunomodulating therapies.