Tumor cells do not exist in isolation in vivo, and carcinogenesis depends on the surrounding
tumor microenvironment (TME), composed of a myriad of cell types and biophysical and …

Hydrogel is a type of versatile platform with various biomedical applications after rational
structure and functional design that leverages on material engineering to modulate its …

The traditional two-dimensional (2D) in vitro cell culture system (on a flat support) has long
been used in cancer research. However, this system cannot be fully translated into clinical …

The immense diversity of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins confers distinct biochemical
and biophysical properties that influence cell phenotype. The ECM is highly dynamic as it is …

The extracellular matrix (ECM) constitutes the scaffold of tissues and organs. It is a complex
network of extracellular proteins, proteoglycans and glycoproteins, which form …

The concept that progression of cancer is regulated by interactions of cancer cells with their
microenvironment was postulated by Stephen Paget over a century ago. Contemporary …

Cells can detect and react to the biophysical properties of the extracellular environment
through integrin-based adhesion sites and adapt to the extracellular milieu in a process …

The microenvironment encompasses all components of a tumor other than the cancer cells
themselves. It is highly heterogenous, comprising a cellular component that includes …

Many extracellular matrices (ECMs) have a filamentous architecture, which influences cell
growth and phenotype and imparts tissues with specific properties. Man-made fibrillar …

Patient-derived tumor organoids (PDOs) are a highly promising preclinical model that
recapitulates the histology, gene expression, and drug response of the donor patient tumor …