A cancer tumor undergoing nanotherapy simulator. This app can be run at https://nanohub.org/tools/pc4nanobio.

Nanoparticles can be designed to change shape and potentially other properties in specific pH conditions. Many cancers exhibit altered, glycolytic metabolism, leading to increased tissue acidity. This makes pH an ideal control for targeted release of cancer therapeutics.

Moreover, synthetic biology and other bioengineering techniques are increasingly creating novel compounds that can target and tune specific aspects of cell phenotype (behavior), such as proliferation, adhesion, motility, and metabolism. This presents both key opportunities and challenges: What if we could tune what a therapeutic does, and where it is delivered? Which therapies would be worth delivering? What are the key design parameters?

The aim of this tool is to explore these "what if" questions: users can set nanoparticle, tissue, cell, and drug response parameters for a growing tumor, and see for themselves how things could play out for their design choices.

This project extensively involves undergraduates in its design and execution. Because we aim not only to develop useful research tools, but also train the next generation of bioengineers. As such, we greatly appreciate your constructive feedback on usability, features, and model biofidelity.

More details about the model can be found at https://nanohub.org/resources/pc4nanobio/about