Biomaterial-based platforms for cancer stem cell enrichment and study

Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a relatively rare subpopulation of tumor cell with self-renewal and tumorigenesis capabilities. CSCs are associated with cancer recurrence, progression, and chemoradiotherapy resistance. Establishing a reliable platform for CSC enrichment and study is a prerequisite for understanding the characteristics of CSCs and discovering CSC-related therapeutic strategies. Certain strategies for CSC enrichment have been used in laboratory, particularly fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and mammosphere culture. However, these methods fail to recapitulate the in vivo chemical and physical conditions in tumors, thus potentially decreasing the malignancy of CSCs in culture and yielding unreliable research results. Accumulating research suggests the promise of a biomaterial-based three-dimensional (3D) strategy for CSC enrichment and study. This strategy has an advantage over conventional methods in simulating the tumor microenvironment, thus providing a more effective and predictive model for CSC laboratory research. In this review, we first briefly discuss the conventional methods for CSC enrichment and study. We then summarize the latest advances and challenges in biomaterial-based 3D CSC platforms. Design strategies for materials, morphology, and chemical and physical cues are highlighted to provide direction for the future construction of platforms for CSC enrichment and study.

Cancer stem cells: a target for overcoming therapeutic resistance and relapse

“…Numerous attempts have been made to develop biomaterial-based platforms to enrich and study CSCs with the goal of targeting CSCs 457 . The potential of translating CSC biological research into clinical practice is quite promising.…”

Bone serves as a transfer station for secondary dissemination of breast cancer

“…Cancer cells with stem cell-like properties are often more quiescent than other cancer cells but are persistent and therapeutically resistant. 77 , 92 Specific niches in the bone microenvironment have been considered regulators of quiescence-proliferation equilibrium (Table 2 ). Dormant and proliferating breast cancer cells in the bone microenvironment occupy distinct areas and niches.…”