Modeling the Role of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Tumor Cell Invasion.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Cell Biology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Cancer metastasis, driven by tumor cell invasion, is a leading cause of cancer mortality.
• In vitro models have evolved to study metastasis, increasingly incorporating the tumor microenvironment (TME).
• Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) within the TME significantly promote tumor cell invasion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the evolution of in vitro assays for studying tumor cell invasion.
• To highlight the development of assays that incorporate TME elements, particularly CAFs.
• To emphasize the importance of these advanced models for understanding metastasis.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on in vitro invasion assays.
• Analysis of model development incorporating extracellular matrix and stromal cells.
• Discussion of assays simulating tumor cell and CAF interactions.

Main Results:

• Early assays focused on tumor cells and extracellular matrix.
• Recent models increasingly integrate CAFs and TME features.
• Advanced assays provide a more comprehensive understanding of invasion.

Conclusions:

• In vitro invasion assays have become more sophisticated.
• Models recapitulating the TME, including CAFs, are crucial for studying metastasis.
• These advanced assays are vital for unraveling the complexities of tumor cell invasion.