Modeling of the Tumor Microenvironment in Tumor Organoids

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems such as organoids are the cumulative construction of advances in the fields of biomaterials, biofabrication, tissue engineering, and cellular and tissue physiology. These organoids represent a more realistic model than their two-dimensional (2D) cell culture counterparts. They are able to maintain the natural morphology of cellular systems through increased intercellular contact, extracellular matrix (ECM) formation, and addition and support for innate signaling mechanisms not replicated in 2D models. There are a number of different fabrication methods and specifications currently used to create 3D culture systems. The variation in methods results in diverse systems that specialize in modeling of equally diverse in vivo systems, including specific cancer types and immune environments. The ability to readily create physiologically relevant tissue equivalents in vitro with a similar tumor microenvironment (TME) to a patient's tumor tissue, including both cancer and stromal components, greatly increases the scope of precision medicine and can allow for more accurate analysis of therapeutics and cell behavior.