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A groundbreaking advancement in cancer research has emerged with the development of the MIRO (Micro Immune Response On-chip) device, created by a team from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute. This innovative device replicates tumor characteristics and their microenvironment using patient cells, paving the way for personalized immunotherapy. The study detailing this research has been published in Nature Communications.
Addressing a Critical Gap in Cancer Treatment
One of the major challenges in cancer therapy is the inconsistency of treatment efficacy between laboratory models and actual human application. Many potential treatments show promising results in vitro and in mouse models but fail when applied to human patients. MIRO aims to bridge this gap by not only replicating tumors but also recreating their surrounding environment and interactions with immune cells.
Dr. Anna Labernadie, who developed the microfluidic system during her postdoctoral research at IBEC and now leads the Cell Behavior and Tissue Bioengineering laboratory at the Príncipe Felipe Research Center (CIPF) in Valencia, emphasized MIRO’s significance. “MIRO enables us to recreate not only the tumors but their environment and the interactions they have with the cells of the immune system. This relationship is vital for the success of immunotherapy-based treatments, which, despite their curative potential, currently only work in between 20 and 40% of patients,” she stated.
Insights from Breast Cancer Studies
The research team has successfully tested MIRO with HER2-positive breast cancer samples, a type characterized by elevated levels of the HER2 protein, which drives rapid tumor growth. While this cancer type can be treated with targeted therapies, the effectiveness of these treatments is often hindered by the tumor microenvironment.
Dr. Alexandre Calon, head of the Translational Research Laboratory in Tumor Microenvironment at the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, highlighted MIRO’s ability to track immune cell behavior. “Thanks to MIRO, we have been able to track the immune cells, see how they lose speed and movement as they approach the tumor, which makes the treatment ineffective. They encounter a barrier formed by the tumor environment and become blocked,” he explained.
Towards Personalized Cancer Treatment
MIRO has also been tested with other solid tumors, including lung and colon cancers. It is constructed using microfluidic techniques, which enable the precise manipulation of cells and fluids at a microscopic scale. The device includes cell cultures compartmentalized to simulate real tumor interactions, making it the first model of its kind.
Dr. Xavier Trepat, ICREA research professor at IBEC and a member of the University of Barcelona, underscored MIRO’s potential. “This model allows us to directly test the treatments that would be used with patients,” he said. The device’s ability to analyze treatment responses, identify possible resistance mechanisms, and discover new biomarkers makes it a crucial step forward in designing personalized immunotherapies.
Dr. Joan Albanell, head of the Medical Oncology Service at Hospital del Mar, echoed this sentiment. “MIRO is an innovative preclinical model that can help improve the success rate and efficacy of new strategies with immunotherapy once we transfer them to clinical trials,” he noted.
Future Prospects and Industry Collaboration
The institutions involved—IBEC, ICREA, and the Hospital del Mar Research Institute—have jointly filed a patent for MIRO’s technology. Their goal is to integrate this innovation into pharmaceutical research and hospital applications.
The study is part of Alice Perucca’s Ph.D. thesis at IBEC, focusing on the immunocompetent ecosystem’s role in cancer progression. Several esteemed institutions, including the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), the University of Barcelona, the Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBER-BBN), Pompeu Fabra University, and the Oncology Networking Biomedical Research Centre (CIBERONC-ISCIII), have collaborated on this project.
For more information, refer to the original study: Alice Perucca et al, Micro Immune Response On-chip (MIRO) models the tumour-stroma interface for immunotherapy testing, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56275-1.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. The MIRO device is still under research and development, and its clinical applications are yet to be fully established. Readers are encouraged to consult healthcare professionals for medical advice and treatment options.
