This paper delves into the constitutive more-than-human relations of care within the Micro-Dissected Tumor on a Chip (MDTC) experimental process, a precision medicine innovation that aims to derive predictions about a patient’s response to chemotherapy by testing the drug on ex vivo samples of the individual’s tumor. Contrary to the prevalent anthropocentric focus in the literature on laboratory work, this study explores the dynamic and performative interplay between human scientists and nonhuman entities, particularly tumors, in the generation of truth claims. Drawing on ethnographic methods, the investigation traces the trajectory of a tumor from its origin as human flesh to the culmination of an objective and actionable prediction. Through vignettes, the paper zooms in onto the affective, sensible and care dynamics within the scientific work that constitutes the MDTC experimental process. These findings are examined through a posthumanist lens to shed light on the performativity of care-driven more-than-human relations, challenging anthropocentric and cognitive views of scientific and organizational work.
