Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
Cecil and Ida Green Distinguished Professor of Biological and Mechanical Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
Adv Healthc Mater. 2020 Apr;9(8):e1901410. doi: 10.1002/adhm.201901410. Epub 2020 Jan 29.
Powerful experimental tools have contributed a wealth of novel insight into cancer etiology from the organ to the subcellular levels. However, these advances in understanding have outpaced improvements in clinical outcomes. One possible reason for this shortcoming is the reliance on animal models that do not fully replicate human physiology. An alternative in vitro approach that has recently emerged features engineered microfluidic platforms to investigate cancer progression. These devices allow precise control over cellular components, extracellular constituents, and physical forces, while facilitating detailed microscopic analysis of the metastatic process. This review focuses on the recent use of microfluidic platforms to investigate the mechanism of cancer cell extravasation.
强大的实验工具为从器官到亚细胞水平的癌症病因提供了丰富的新见解。然而,这些理解上的进步已经超过了临床结果的改善。造成这种缺陷的一个可能原因是依赖于不完全复制人类生理学的动物模型。最近出现的另一种体外方法是使用工程微流控平台来研究癌症进展。这些设备可以精确控制细胞成分、细胞外成分和物理力,同时便于对转移过程进行详细的微观分析。本文综述了最近使用微流控平台研究癌细胞渗出机制的应用。