Engineered Hydrogels for Brain Tumor Culture and Therapy

Jai Thakor; Samad Ahadian; Ali Niakan; Ethan Banton; Fatemeh Nasrollahi; Mohammad Mahdi Hasani-Sadrabadi; Ali Khademhosseini

doi:10.1007/s42242-020-00084-6

Engineered Hydrogels for Brain Tumor Culture and Therapy

Biodes Manuf. 2020 Sep;3(3):203-226. doi: 10.1007/s42242-020-00084-6. Epub 2020 Jun 30.

Authors

Jai Thakor^{1

2}, Samad Ahadian^{1

2}, Ali Niakan¹, Ethan Banton^{1

3}, Fatemeh Nasrollahi^{1

2}, Mohammad Mahdi Hasani-Sadrabadi^{2

4}, Ali Khademhosseini^{1

2

5

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Minimally Invasive Therapeutics (C-MIT), University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
² Department of Bioengineering, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
³ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
⁴ Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology, Division of Advanced Prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
⁵ Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
⁶ Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
⁷ Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI), Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA.

Abstract

Brain tumors' severity ranges from benign to highly aggressive and invasive. Bioengineering tools can assist in understanding the pathophysiology of these tumors from outside the body and facilitate development of suitable antitumoral treatments. Here, we first describe the physiology and cellular composition of brain tumors. Then, we discuss the development of three-dimensional tissue models utilizing brain tumor cells. In particular, we highlight the role of hydrogels in providing a biomimetic support for the cells to grow into defined structures. Microscale technologies, such as electrospinning and bioprinting, and advanced cellular models aim to mimic the extracellular matrix and natural cellular localization in engineered tumor tissues. Lastly, we review current applications and prospects of hydrogels for therapeutic purposes, such as drug delivery and co-administration with other therapies. Through further development, hydrogels can serve as a reliable option for in vitro modeling and treatment of brain tumors for translational medicine.

Keywords: Brain tumor; bioengineering; cancer cells; drug delivery; hydrogel.

Grants and funding

U01 CA214411/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States