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

IntravChip: a vascularized and perfused microfluidic model of the primary tumor microenvironment to collect intravasated tumor cells.

Biofabrication·2026

Same author

4D force patterning enables spatial control of angiogenesis.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Is platinum the new gold? Re-evaluating platinum's enduring role and future potential in the era of novel ovarian cancer therapies.

Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society·2026

Same author

Engineering the blood-brain barrier on chip: advances in preclinical drug penetration and disease modeling.

Advanced drug delivery reviews·2026

Same author

Self-localized ultrafast pencil beam for volumetric multiphoton imaging.

Nature methods·2026

Same author

Quantitative comparison of methods for widespread delivery of small molecules across the blood-brain barrier.

Communications biology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 29, 2025

Modeling Chemotherapy Resistant Leukemia In Vitro

Modeling Chemotherapy Resistant Leukemia In Vitro

Published on: February 9, 2016

Models for Monocytic Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment.

Sharon W L Lee^1,2,3, Giulia Adriani³, Roger D Kamm^4,5

¹Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), BioSystems and Micromechanics (BioSyM) IRG, Singapore, Singapore.

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology

|February 10, 2020

Summary

Monocytes (Mos) are crucial immune cells in cancer progression and metastasis. Understanding their roles and the tumor microenvironment (TME) is vital for developing effective cancer immunotherapies.

Keywords:

2D versus 3D Autologous cell therapy Cancer Combinational immunotherapy Differentiation and commitment Heterogeneity Human versus mouse Macrophages Microfluidic models Monocyte-derived dendritic cells Monocytes Ontogeny Organ-on-a-chip Personalized precision medicine Tumor microenvironment

More Related Videos

Real-time Imaging of Myeloid Cells Dynamics in ApcMin/+ Intestinal Tumors by Spinning Disk Confocal Microscopy

Real-time Imaging of Myeloid Cells Dynamics in ApcMin/+ Intestinal Tumors by Spinning Disk Confocal Microscopy

Published on: October 6, 2014

Analyzing the Communication Between Monocytes and Primary Breast Cancer Cells in an Extracellular Matrix Extract ECME-based Three-dimensional System

Analyzing the Communication Between Monocytes and Primary Breast Cancer Cells in an Extracellular Matrix Extract ECME-based Three-dimensional System

Published on: January 8, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 29, 2025

Modeling Chemotherapy Resistant Leukemia In Vitro

Modeling Chemotherapy Resistant Leukemia In Vitro

Published on: February 9, 2016

Real-time Imaging of Myeloid Cells Dynamics in ApcMin/+ Intestinal Tumors by Spinning Disk Confocal Microscopy

Real-time Imaging of Myeloid Cells Dynamics in ApcMin/+ Intestinal Tumors by Spinning Disk Confocal Microscopy

Published on: October 6, 2014

Analyzing the Communication Between Monocytes and Primary Breast Cancer Cells in an Extracellular Matrix Extract ECME-based Three-dimensional System

Analyzing the Communication Between Monocytes and Primary Breast Cancer Cells in an Extracellular Matrix Extract ECME-based Three-dimensional System

Published on: January 8, 2018

Area of Science:

Immunology
Cancer Biology
Cell Biology

Background:

Monocytes (Mos) are key immune regulators in cancer, influencing tumor growth and metastasis.
Mos differentiate into tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs), shaping the tumor microenvironment (TME).
Biological and mechanical factors within the TME significantly impact monocytic cell functions.

Purpose of the Study:

To summarize current knowledge on the tumor biology of monocytes, TAMs, and moDCs.
To highlight therapeutic applications targeting these monocytic cells in cancer.
To review and discuss TME models for studying monocytic cell activity.

Main Methods:

Literature review and synthesis of existing research on monocytes in cancer.
Analysis of therapeutic strategies targeting monocytic cells.
Evaluation of various in vitro and in vivo tumor microenvironment models.

Main Results:

Monocytes play multifaceted roles in cancer, promoting tumor growth and metastasis.
TAMs and moDCs significantly influence the TME, impacting immune responses and treatment efficacy.
Murine models provide insights but human-specific in vitro TME models are needed for translational research.

Conclusions:

Understanding monocytic cell biology within the TME is critical for advancing cancer immunotherapy.
Development of improved human in vitro TME models is essential for validating findings and developing new cancer interventions.
Future research should focus on precise functions, mechanisms, and therapeutic targeting of monocytic cells in the human TME.