Adipose Tissue in Breast Cancer Microphysiological Models to Capture Human Diversity in Preclinical Models.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Female breast cancer incidence is rising, with high preclinical therapy failure rates.
• Current preclinical models lack cellular heterogeneity and human-derived biomaterials, limiting translatability.
• Adipose tissue and its cells (adipocytes, ASCs) are crucial for breast physiology and cancer progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current preclinical breast cancer models.
• To highlight the importance of adipose tissue in breast cancer models.
• To focus on microphysiological systems (MPS) and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on preclinical breast cancer models.
• Focus on models incorporating adipose tissue components.
• Comparison of microphysiological systems (MPS) and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models.

Main Results:

• Adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (ASCs) and adipocytes significantly influence breast cancer pathophysiology.
• There is a critical need for more complex in vitro models that include adipose tissue.
• MPS and PDX models show promise in capturing patient diversity and adipose tissue contributions.

Conclusions:

• Enhanced preclinical models incorporating adipose tissue are essential for advancing breast cancer therapy.
• Microphysiological systems and patient-derived xenografts offer improved approaches to model breast cancer heterogeneity.
• Further development of these models can lead to more translatable cancer therapies.