BioSystems and Micromechanics (BioSyM) IRG, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Centre, 1, Create Way, Enterprise Wing, 138602, Singapore.
Lab Chip. 2019 Jan 29;19(3):369-386. doi: 10.1039/c8lc00970h.
Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. The complex and disorganized tumor microenvironment makes it very difficult to treat this disease. The most common in vitro drug screening method now is based on 2D culture models which poorly represent actual tumors. Therefore, many 3D tumor models which are more physiologically relevant have been developed to conduct in vitro drug screening and alleviate this situation. Among all these models, the microfluidic tumor model has the unique advantage of recapitulating the tumor microenvironment in a comparatively easier and representative fashion. While there are many review papers available on the related topic of microfluidic tumor models, in this review we aim to focus more on the possibility of generating "clinically actionable information" from these microfluidic systems, besides scientific insight. Our topics cover the tumor microenvironment, conventional 2D and 3D cultures, animal models, and microfluidic tumor models, emphasizing their link to anti-cancer drug discovery and personalized medicine.
癌症是全球主要的死亡原因。复杂且紊乱的肿瘤微环境使得治疗这种疾病变得非常困难。目前最常见的体外药物筛选方法是基于二维培养模型，这种模型很难真实反映肿瘤的情况。因此，人们开发了许多更具生理相关性的三维肿瘤模型，以进行体外药物筛选并缓解这种情况。在所有这些模型中，微流控肿瘤模型具有以相对简单且有代表性的方式重现肿瘤微环境的独特优势。虽然有许多关于微流控肿瘤模型相关主题的综述文章，但在本次综述中，我们的重点不仅在于从这些微流控系统中获得“可用于临床的信息”，还在于科学见解。我们的主题涵盖肿瘤微环境、传统的二维和三维培养、动物模型以及微流控肿瘤模型，强调它们与抗癌药物发现和个性化医疗的联系。
