Biofabrication of 3D tumor models in cancer research

Abstract Tumors are complex tissues in which cancer cells are interwoven with fibroblasts, endothelial cells, pericytes, and inflammatory cells; these cells and the extracellular matrix constitute the tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME can modulate the behavior of tumor cells in terms of capacity to invade neighboring or distant tissues and drug resistance, by secreting tumor-promoting growth factors and cytokines. The poor efficacy of many anticancer drugs in clinical trials can be partly justified by the lack of predictive preclinical models. Prior to in vivo testing, biofabrication of tools for investigation in three-dimensional (3D) could be useful. Indeed, cells grown in 3D matrices…