Current Advances in 3D Bioprinting for Cancer Modeling and Personalized Medicine

Abstract

Tumor cells evolve in a complex and heterogeneous environment composed of different cell types and an extracellular matrix. Current 2D culture methods are very limited in their ability to mimic the cancer cell environment. In recent years, various 3D models of cancer cells have been developed, notably in the form of spheroids/organoids, using scaffold or cancer-on-chip devices. However, these models have the disadvantage of not being able to precisely control the organization of multiple cell types in complex architecture and are sometimes not very reproducible in their production, and this is especially true for spheroids. Three-dimensional bioprinting can produce complex, multi-cellular, and reproducible constructs in which the matrix composition and rigidity can be adapted locally or globally to the tumor model studied. For these reasons, 3D bioprinting seems to be the technique of choice to mimic the tumor microenvironment in vivo as closely as possible. In this review, we discuss different 3D-bioprinting technologies, including bioinks and crosslinkers that can be used for in vitro cancer models, and the techniques used to study cells grown in hydrogels; finally, we provide some applications of bioprinted cancer models.

A method for reproducible high‐resolution imaging of 3D cancer cell spheroids

“… 21 Furthermore, the use of ‘bio‐inks’ permits printing of various structures with filament‐based techniques at resolutions of 100 μm into collagen, Matrigel or decellularised matrix. 22 Plane‐based techniques are best suited to print higher resolution 3D structures, although these approaches are limited by available bio‐inks and large volume requirements making them relatively expensive. In general, bio‐inks allow for inclusion of cells during dispersal which can facilitate even distribution of cells throughout the 3D printed structure, generating an effective coculture system with fibroblasts, endothelial and/or immune cells.…”