Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA.
Center for Global Design and Manufacturing, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Cincinnati, 2901 Woodside Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA.
J Mater Chem B. 2024 May 15;12(19):4584-4612. doi: 10.1039/d4tb00310a.
The application of three- and four-dimensional (3D/4D) printing in cancer research represents a significant advancement in understanding and addressing the complexities of cancer biology. 3D/4D materials provide more physiologically relevant environments compared to traditional two-dimensional models, allowing for a more accurate representation of the tumor microenvironment that enables researchers to study tumor progression, drug responses, and interactions with surrounding tissues under conditions similar to conditions. The dynamic nature of 4D materials introduces the element of time, allowing for the observation of temporal changes in cancer behavior and response to therapeutic interventions. The use of 3D/4D printing in cancer research holds great promise for advancing our understanding of the disease and improving the translation of preclinical findings to clinical applications. Accordingly, this review aims to briefly discuss 3D and 4D printing and their advantages and limitations in the field of cancer. Moreover, new techniques such as 5D/6D printing and artificial intelligence (AI) are also introduced as methods that could be used to overcome the limitations of 3D/4D printing and opened promising ways for the fast and precise diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
三维和四维（3D/4D）打印在癌症研究中的应用代表了对癌症生物学复杂性的理解和应对的重大进展。与传统的二维模型相比，3D/4D 材料提供了更具生理相关性的环境，更准确地模拟肿瘤微环境，使研究人员能够在类似于体内的条件下研究肿瘤的进展、药物反应以及与周围组织的相互作用。4D 材料的动态特性引入了时间元素，能够观察到癌症行为和对治疗干预的反应的时间变化。3D/4D 打印在癌症研究中的应用有望提高我们对疾病的认识，并改善临床前研究结果向临床应用的转化。因此，本综述旨在简要讨论 3D 和 4D 打印及其在癌症领域的优势和局限性。此外，还介绍了 5D/6D 打印和人工智能（AI）等新技术，作为克服 3D/4D 打印局限性的方法，并为癌症的快速、精确诊断和治疗开辟了有前途的途径。
