Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Tumor Microenvironment

The Tumor Microenvironment

Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Detection of a Single Measles Infection Using Untargeted Ultra-Deep Metagenomic Sequencing of Wastewater in Cook County, Illinois.

NEJM evidence·2026

Same author

The Urinary Tract commensal <i>Peptoniphilus</i> spp<i>.</i> Encodes a Novel 17β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Characterization of an NADPH-dependent 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase from a urinary tract bacterial isolate.

The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology·2026

Same author

Turning Waste into Value: Technoeconomic Analysis and Life Cycle Assessment of Biodiesel-Derived Crude Glycerol Electrooxidation.

Environmental science & technology·2026

Same author

The urinary pathobiont <i>Actinobaculum massiliense</i> generates androgens via the <i>dirAB</i> pathway.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Same author

Tailoring Pendant Group Chemistry and Thiol-Ene Network Structure of Thin-Film Composite Membranes to Optimize CO<sub>2</sub> Gas Separation.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 23, 2026

A Mimic of the Tumor Microenvironment: A Simple Method for Generating Enriched Cell Populations and Investigating Intercellular Communication

A Mimic of the Tumor Microenvironment: A Simple Method for Generating Enriched Cell Populations and Investigating Intercellular Communication

Published on: September 20, 2016

Methods to study the tumor microenvironment under controlled oxygen conditions.

Matthew B Byrne¹, Matthew T Leslie², H Rex Gaskins³

¹Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.

Trends in Biotechnology

|October 6, 2014

Summary

Hypoxia, a feature of the tumor microenvironment (TME), impacts cancer progression and treatment resistance. Microfluidic platforms offer advanced methods for controlling oxygen levels and observing cellular responses in real-time.

Keywords:

hypoxia microfluidics tumor microenvironment

More Related Videos

Tumor Hypoxia Assessment: In Vivo 3D Oxygen Imaging Through Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

Tumor Hypoxia Assessment: In Vivo 3D Oxygen Imaging Through Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

Published on: February 14, 2025

Affordable Oxygen Microscopy-Assisted Biofabrication of Multicellular Spheroids

Affordable Oxygen Microscopy-Assisted Biofabrication of Multicellular Spheroids

Published on: April 6, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 23, 2026

A Mimic of the Tumor Microenvironment: A Simple Method for Generating Enriched Cell Populations and Investigating Intercellular Communication

A Mimic of the Tumor Microenvironment: A Simple Method for Generating Enriched Cell Populations and Investigating Intercellular Communication

Published on: September 20, 2016

Tumor Hypoxia Assessment: In Vivo 3D Oxygen Imaging Through Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

Tumor Hypoxia Assessment: In Vivo 3D Oxygen Imaging Through Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

Published on: February 14, 2025

Affordable Oxygen Microscopy-Assisted Biofabrication of Multicellular Spheroids

Affordable Oxygen Microscopy-Assisted Biofabrication of Multicellular Spheroids

Published on: April 6, 2022

Area of Science:

Oncology
Biomedical Engineering
Cell Biology

Background:

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex system influencing cancer.
Hypoxia within the TME is linked to metabolic reprogramming, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and therapeutic resistance.
Current experimental methods lack precise oxygen control and real-time cell imaging capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

To review conventional methods for controlling oxygen concentration in cell studies.
To highlight recent microfluidic-based advancements for precise oxygen control.
To discuss the application of these methods in understanding hypoxia's effects on cellular behavior.

Main Methods:

Review of traditional oxygen control techniques (e.g., gas incubators, chambers).
Discussion of microfluidic device designs for oxygen manipulation.
Integration of real-time imaging with microfluidic oxygen control systems.

Main Results:

Conventional methods have limitations in precision and real-time monitoring.
Microfluidic platforms provide enhanced control over oxygen gradients and concentrations.
These platforms facilitate detailed observation of cellular responses to varying oxygen levels.

Conclusions:

Microfluidic technology represents a significant advancement for studying hypoxia in the TME.
Precise oxygen control and real-time imaging are crucial for unraveling hypoxia-driven cancer mechanisms.
Future research can leverage microfluidics to explore therapeutic resistance and metabolic reprogramming in controlled hypoxic conditions.