Tissue Engineering Models for the Study of Breast Neoplastic Disease and the Tumor Microenvironment

The development of adequate experimental models is crucial to furthering the current mechanistic understanding of the etiopathogenesis, subsequent growth, and ultimate metastasis of breast cancer, to develop targeted diagnostics and therapeutics such as the identification of new treatments for multidrug-resistant tumors and triple-negative breast cancers. The utility of new therapeutic options is limited by the platforms currently used to test their efficacy in vitro. The use of three-dimensional models, which incorporate patient-specific, primary cells, offers significant advantages over traditional two-dimensional models by providing a means of accurately recapitulating the complex tumor microenvironment. Advances in breast cancer models, in turn, stand to contribute to more efficacious breast cancer therapeutics. Herein, we review the recent advances in experimental models of breast cancer and suggest methods by which these can be used to further our understanding of said cancer. Impact statement This review provides a comprehensive look at the development of experimental models for breast cancer, the pitfalls identified therein, and the creative solutions that have overcome these challenges. Collectively, we tell a story of the many compounding efforts that have been successful in more accurately modeling the origin and progression of this disease in a patient-specific manner. By providing a thorough and detailed account of model development thus far, we provide the necessary foundation for those who seek to contribute to the important work of modeling breast cancer toward the development of increasingly accurate diagnostics and therapeutics. These advances will ultimately serve to benefit patients, providers, cancer biologists, and anyone participating in cancer research.