Recreating complex pathophysiologies in vitro with extracellular matrix surrogates for anticancer therapeutics screening.
In vitro tumour models utilise various cancer cells and an appropriate extracellular matrix equivalent to recapitulate the in vivo tumour microenvironment. Three-dimensional tissue surrogates (e.g., decellularised tissue grafts, decellularised monolayers, hydrogels, electrospun fibres and sponges) are increasingly used as alternatives to conventional two-dimensional monolayer cultures to model the tissue environment more faithfully for drug development and screening. Herein, we critically assess the advances and shortfalls of these three-dimensional systems as in vitro models of cancer.
Regenerative, Modular & Developmental Engineering Laboratory (REMODEL), Biomedical Sciences Building, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), Galway, Ireland; Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Centre for Research in Medical Devices (CÚRAM), Biomedical Sciences Building, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), Galway, Ireland.
Naledi
N
Shologu
Apoptosis Research Centre (ARC), School of Natural Sciences, Biomedical Sciences Building, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), Galway, Ireland.
Eva
E
Szegezdi
Department of Surgery, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), Galway, Ireland.
Aoife
A
Lowery
Department of Surgery, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), Galway, Ireland.
Michael
M
Kerin
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Centre for Research in Medical Devices (CÚRAM), Biomedical Sciences Building, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), Galway, Ireland.
Abhay
A
Pandit
Regenerative, Modular & Developmental Engineering Laboratory (REMODEL), Biomedical Sciences Building, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), Galway, Ireland; Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Centre for Research in Medical Devices (CÚRAM), Biomedical Sciences Building, National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway), Galway, Ireland. Electronic address: dimitrios.zeugolis@nuigalway.ie.
Dimitrios I
DI
Zeugolis
D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D005109:Extracellular Matrix; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents