Improving Bioprinted Volumetric Tumor Microenvironments In Vitro

Trends Cancer. 2020 Sep;6(9):745-756. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2020.06.002. Epub 2020 Jul 14.

Abstract

Despite the great breakthroughs in the past few decades in illuminating the pathological mechanisms of cancer and in developing new anticancer drugs, it remains extremely challenging to cure most cancers. Therefore, it is imperative to develop more sophisticated and more biomimetic preclinical cancer models. 3D models combined with dynamic culture techniques show great potential to accurately emulate the volumetric tumor microenvironment (TME). Here we introduce advances in bioprinting technologies for in vitro cancer modeling and their applications. Finally, we look ahead to the remaining challenges associated with current bioprinting strategies for achieving faithful cancer modeling.

Keywords: 3D models; bioprinting; cancer; tumor microenvironment; tumor on a chip.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bioprinting / methods*
  • Biopsy
  • Cell Culture Techniques / methods
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Printing, Three-Dimensional*
  • Tissue Engineering / methods*
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Tumor Microenvironment*