Scientists Build 3D Tumour 'Avatar' to Fight Bone Cancer in Children

Researchers at the University of Bologna are developing a three-dimensional laboratory replica of osteosarcoma — the most common malignant bone tumour in children and adolescents — in an effort to find more effective treatments for a disease that has seen little therapeutic progress in decades.

The project, led by the Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, aims to create what researchers are calling a true "avatar" of the tumour, capable of reproducing its complex interactions with surrounding tissue in ways that existing experimental models have failed to achieve.

Why Current Treatments Are Falling Short

Osteosarcoma is an aggressive disease. Despite being the most frequent malignant bone tumour in young patients, the therapies currently available remain insufficiently effective — and have changed very little over the past several decades.

A major obstacle has been the absence of experimental models that can faithfully recreate the relationship between tumour cells and their surrounding microenvironment. The new project is designed specifically to address that gap.

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A Living, Vascularised Incubator

The research involves growing osteosarcoma cells in three-dimensional aggregates that replicate the architecture and molecular processes of the tumour. These aggregates are then implanted onto the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of a chicken embryo — a naturally well-vascularised biological system that acts as a living incubator for the tumour.

This setup allows researchers to observe tumour growth, the formation of new blood vessels, tissue invasion, and responses to drugs under conditions that closely mimic what happens inside the human body.

Crucially, the use of the CAM is not classified as animal experimentation, and provides a low-cost platform with clear potential for translation toward clinical applications.

X-Rays a Billion Times Brighter Than the Sun

To analyse the tumour in unprecedented detail, the research team will use advanced X-ray techniques powered by synchrotron light — a form of radiation whose brightness is described as one hundred thousand billion billion times greater than that of the Sun.

This extraordinary power allows scientists to study the tumour down to the atomic scale, revealing structural details that conventional imaging cannot capture.

The Researcher Behind the Project

The study is being carried out by postdoctoral researcher Francesca Rossi, supported by a fellowship from AIRC — the Italian Association for Cancer Research.

"This project will allow us to recreate the tumour in the laboratory in a much more realistic way than in the past, and to observe how it develops and responds to drugs in an environment that closely resembles what happens in the human body," Dr Rossi explained. "It is an important step towards a better understanding of the disease and towards identifying new therapeutic strategies for young patients."

The research is supervised by Professor Emil Malucelli, Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology at the University of Bologna, and is part of a wider national and international network of collaborations with leading research centres.

A Two-Year Path Toward Precision Medicine

The two-year fellowship structures the project across several phases — from building the experimental model and characterising the tumour biologically and structurally, to pharmacological screening of potential new drugs.

The ultimate goal is a predictive experimental system that can identify the most promising therapeutic strategies and help pave the way for future precision medicine approaches for young osteosarcoma patients.