Episode 13: Bioprinting combined with interferometry enables precision oncology

In this podcast episode, MRS Bulletin’s Sophia Chen interviews Alice Soragni of the University of California, Los Angeles about her work in precision oncology. Rather than sequence the DNA of a patient’s tumor, Soragni uses bioprinting to create organoids from the patient’s cells. She then adds various drugs to the cells to directly test their response to each drug. To check the effectiveness of the drugs, Soragni’s group measures the organoid’s mass with a technique called interferometry. Interferometry is a non-invasive technique that involves shining light on the cells to monitor their response to the drug. This process allows Soragni to characterize the organoid’s response to the drug in fine detail. This work was published in a recent issue of Nature Communications.