Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Tissue Engineering of Tumor Stromal Microenvironment with Application to Cancer Cell Invasion
Published on: March 18, 2014
A 3D tumor microenvironment regulates cell proliferation, peritoneal growth and expression patterns.
Daniela Loessner1, Anja Rockstroh2, Ali Shokoohmand2
1Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom; Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, QLD 4059, Australia.
Researchers developed a 3D ovarian cancer model to study peritoneal invasion. This model identified key factors like IGFBP7, PTGS2, VEGFC, and FGF2 that promote metastasis, potentially leading to new therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Tissue Engineering
- Cancer Metastasis Research
Background:
- Peritoneal invasion is a critical step in ovarian cancer metastasis.
- Understanding the tumor microenvironment is essential for developing effective treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a 3D ovarian tumor microenvironment that mimics peritoneal invasion.
- To identify molecular factors involved in ovarian cancer peritoneal metastasis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized tissue engineering with melt electrospun scaffolds and mesothelial cells to create 3D co-cultures.
- Performed proliferation, transcriptomic, and immunohistochemistry analyses.
- In vivo validation using intraperitoneal xenografts and patient-derived tissues.
Main Results:
- 3D co-cultures showed increased ovarian cancer cell proliferation compared to 3D mono-cultures.
- Identified deregulated factors: IGFBP7, PTGS2, VEGFC, and FGF2 in 3D co-cultures.
- These factors correlated with patient survival and were upregulated by kallikrein-related proteases.
Conclusions:
- The engineered 3D model accurately replicates ovarian cancer peritoneal invasion.
- The identified factors serve as potential therapeutic targets for preventing metastasis.
- This model offers a platform for preclinical testing of novel anti-metastatic therapies.
More Related Videos
08:59Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Generated by Low Density Neutrophils Obtained from Peritoneal Lavage Fluid Mediate Tumor Cell Growth and Attachment
Published on: August 3, 2018
10:59Conditional Knockdown of Gene Expression in Cancer Cell Lines to Study the Recruitment of Monocytes/Macrophages to the Tumor Microenvironment
Published on: November 23, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Cells Coordinate Growth and Proliferation
The Tumor Microenvironment
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns
Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps