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Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Live Imaging of Drug Responses in the Tumor Microenvironment in Mouse Models of Breast Cancer
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Beyond Tissue Stiffness and Bioadhesivity: Advanced Biomaterials to Model Tumor Microenvironments and Drug Resistance

Ankur Singh1, Ilana Brito2, Jan Lammerding3

  • 1Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA; Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.

Trends in Cancer
|April 3, 2018
PubMed

Insights

New preclinical models are crucial for understanding cancer development and chemoresistance. Advanced ex vivo models incorporating tissue signaling, nuclear mechanics, and the gut microbiome offer unprecedented opportunities for therapeutic design.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Cancer Research
  • Experimental Therapeutics

Background:

  • Chemotherapy and targeted therapies face significant challenges due to cancer resistance.
  • Ex vivo preclinical tissue models have advanced tumor biology but not fully addressed malignant transformation and chemoresistance.
  • Genomic sequencing and advanced ex vivo models offer new avenues for understanding cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the limitations of current ex vivo models in addressing cancer resistance.
  • To propose a more comprehensive approach for developing next-generation ex vivo models.
  • To leverage new models for understanding tumorigenesis and overcoming therapeutic resistance.

Main Methods:

  • Discussion of limitations in current ex vivo models.
  • Identification of key biological and physical parameters for improved models.
  • Integration of genomic data with advanced tissue engineering.

Main Results:

  • Current ex vivo models do not adequately capture the complexity of cancer development and resistance.
  • A comprehensive milieu including tissue signaling, nuclear mechanics, immune response, and gut microbiome is essential.
  • Advanced ex vivo models can provide unprecedented opportunities for therapeutic design.

Conclusions:

  • Next-generation ex vivo models must incorporate a broader range of physiological and biological factors.
  • Improved models are critical for a deeper understanding of tumorigenesis and chemoresistance.
  • This approach will facilitate the design of more effective cancer therapies.

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