Engineering the Extracellular Matrix to Model the Evolving Tumor Microenvironment

Hannah M Micek; Mike R Visetsouk; Kristyn S Masters; Pamela K Kreeger

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2020.101742

Engineering the Extracellular Matrix to Model the Evolving Tumor Microenvironment

iScience. 2020 Oct 27;23(11):101742. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101742. eCollection 2020 Nov 20.

Authors

Hannah M Micek¹, Mike R Visetsouk¹, Kristyn S Masters^{1

2

3

4}, Pamela K Kreeger^{1

2

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
² University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
³ Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
⁴ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
⁵ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA.
⁶ Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53705, USA.

Abstract

Clinical evidence supports a role for the extracellular matrix (ECM) in cancer risk and prognosis across multiple tumor types, and numerous studies have demonstrated that individual ECM components impact key hallmarks of tumor progression (e.g., proliferation, migration, angiogenesis). However, the ECM is a complex network of fibrillar proteins, glycoproteins, and proteoglycans that undergoes dramatic changes in composition and organization during tumor development. In this review, we will highlight how engineering approaches can be used to examine the impact of changes in tissue architecture, ECM composition (i.e., identity and levels of individual ECM components), and cellular- and tissue-level mechanics on tumor progression. In addition, we will discuss recently developed methods to model the ECM that have not yet been applied to the study of cancer.

Keywords: Cancer; Tissue Engineering.

Publication types

Review

Abstract

Publication types

Grants and funding