Abstract
Cancer research has considerably progressed with the improvement of in vitro study models, helping to understand the key role of the tumor microenvironment in cancer development and progression. Over the last few years, complex 3D human cell culture systems have gained much popularity over in vivo models, as they accurately mimic the tumor microenvironment and allow high-throughput drug screening. Of particular interest, in vitrohuman 3D tissue constructs, produced by the self-assembly method of tissue engineering, have been successfully used to model the tumor microenvironment and now represent a very promising approach to further develop diverse cancer models. In this review, we describe the importance of the tumor microenvironment and present the existing in vitro cancer models generated through the self-assembly method of tissue engineering. Lastly, we highlight the relevance of this approach to mimic various and complex tumors, including basal cell carcinoma, cutaneous neurofibroma, skin melanoma, bladder cancer, and uveal melanoma.
Highlights
Over the past years, various approaches have been employed to study cancer initiation, growth, and migration
Current in vitro two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cell culture and conventional tridimensional (3D) cell culture systems have led to significant advances in our understanding of tumor biology and the role of tumor microenvironment (TME), there are still several unmet needs to better model cancer invasion
The local TME is known to play a significant role in cancer progression and metastasis, where tumor cells can respond and adapt to a plethora of biochemical/biophy
Summary
Various approaches have been employed to study cancer initiation, growth, and migration. BioMed Research International sical signals from surrounding stromal cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) components [2] In this regard, advances in tumor cell biology, 3D cell culture, and tissue engineering have enabled the rapid development of comprehensive in vitro tumor models with increased complexity, through the incorporation of multiple cell types. Despite significant progresses over the last few years, there are still numerous challenges to create better models for various forms of primary and metastatic cancers, incorporating multicellular cultures and diverse cellular microenvironments capable of modulating ECM composition, cellular crosstalk, and distribution of soluble factors. We provide an overview of 3D cell culture models currently being employed with a particular focus on the stromal self-assembly method of tissue engineering, allowing the production of patient-derived organ- and human-specific models, for the study of diverse cancers
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call