Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 10, 2026
A 3D Spheroid Model for Glioblastoma
Published on: April 9, 2020
3D bioprinted glioma models
Defne Yigci1, Misagh Rezapour Sarabi2, Merve Ustun2
1School of Medicine, Koc University, 34450 Istanbul, Turkey.
Abstract:
Glioma is one of the most malignant types of cancer and most gliomas remain incurable. One of the hallmarks of glioma is its invasiveness. Furthermore, glioma cells tend to readily detach from the primary tumor and travel through the brain tissue, making complete tumor resection impossible in many cases. To expand the knowledge regarding the invasive behavior of glioma, evaluate drug resistance, and recapitulate the tumor microenvironment, various modeling strategies were proposed in the last decade, including three-dimensional (3D) biomimetic scaffold-free cultures, organ-on-chip microfluidics chips, and 3D bioprinting platforms, which allow for the investigation on patient-specific treatments. The emerging method of 3D bioprinting technology has introduced a time- and cost-efficient approach to createin vitromodels that possess the structural and functional characteristics of human organs and tissues by spatially positioning cells and bioink. Here, we review emerging 3D bioprinted models developed for recapitulating the brain environment and glioma tumors, with the purpose of probing glioma cell invasion and gliomagenesis and discuss the potential use of 4D printing and machine learning applications in glioma modelling.
Insights
3D bioprinting creates advanced in vitro models to study glioma invasion and drug resistance. This technology offers a cost-effective way to mimic the brain tumor microenvironment for personalized treatments.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cancer Research
- Neuro-oncology
Background:
- Glioma is a highly invasive and often incurable brain cancer.
- Glioma cell invasiveness complicates surgical resection and treatment.
- Current models struggle to fully replicate the complex tumor microenvironment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review 3D bioprinted models for studying glioma.
- To explore their utility in probing glioma cell invasion and drug resistance.
- To discuss future applications of 4D printing and machine learning in glioma modeling.
Main Methods:
- Review of emerging 3D bioprinting technologies for creating in vitro glioma models.
- Focus on biomimetic scaffold-free cultures, organ-on-chip systems, and bioprinted platforms.
- Discussion of patient-specific modeling capabilities.
Main Results:
- 3D bioprinting enables the creation of in vitro models with structural and functional tissue characteristics.
- These models can recapitulate the brain environment and glioma tumors.
- 3D bioprinting offers a time- and cost-efficient approach for advanced research.
Conclusions:
- 3D bioprinting is a promising technology for developing sophisticated in vitro glioma models.
- These models can advance understanding of glioma invasion, drug resistance, and gliomagenesis.
- Future integration with 4D printing and machine learning holds significant potential for personalized glioma treatment strategies.
