NYU Abu Dhabi Develops Spheromatrix: Cost-Effective Tool To Grow And Bank Tumour Spheroids For Testing

Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi have developed Spheromatrix, a simple and low-cost platform that allows tumour models to be grown, frozen, stored, and later reused for cancer drug testing, potentially accelerating pre-clinical studies and offering alternatives to animal models in oncology research.

Spheromatrix is produced from specially engineered filter paper patterned to support the growth of tumour spheroids in a controlled and reproducible way. Unlike many conventional three-dimensional culture systems, which are costly, complex, and not easily preserved, the paper-based platform enables creation of biobanks of “off-the-shelf” tumour models.

he research was led by Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering Mohammad A. Qasaimeh, with first author Postdoctoral Associate Ayoub Glia and colleagues at NYUAD’s Advanced Microfluidics and Microdevices Laboratory, known as AMMLab, focusing on accessible technologies for cancer drug development and testing.

“Spheromatrix represents an important step forward in cancer research,” said Qasaimeh, Associate Professor of Engineering at NYU Abu Dhabi. “Its fiber-based structure provides a biocompatible environment for cells, letting tumour models behave more like real cancers. Preserving these models for long-term use speeds up preclinical testing, reduces reliance on animal models, and opens new possibilities for patient-focused research.”

The team evaluated Spheromatrix using commercial chemotherapy drugs on brain tumour models. Preserved tumour spheroids showed responses closely matching those observed in real patient cancers, indicating that the platform can provide reproducible, realistic, and scalable systems suited to standardised drug screening workflows.

“Our goal was to design a platform that is simple, reliable, and affordable, while addressing a major bottleneck in cancer drug development,” said Glia. “By engineering paper to support tumour spheroids, we can grow, freeze, and reuse models for multiple experiments. We are now exploring the use of patient-derived samples to enable more personalised cancer therapies.”

According to the researchers, Spheromatrix can help reduce costs and timelines for preclinical testing and support more humane approaches by limiting dependence on animal models, while also contributing to patient-focused precision oncology through more representative tumour model systems.

NYU and NYU Abu Dhabi’s institutional profile underpins the study. Times Higher Education ranks New York University among the world’s top 31 universities, making NYU Abu Dhabi the highest globally ranked university in the UAE and a growing hub for scientific research and innovation.

NYUAD reports 24 Rhodes Scholars among its alumni, four Nobel Laureates on its faculty, and more than 90 faculty laboratories and projects that have produced over 9,500 internationally recognised publications. The Nature Index lists NYUAD as number one in the UAE for publications in leading science journals.