Abstract
In preclinical studies for cancer drug discovery, cancer models including 2D-cell culture models and animal models have been used. However, 2D-cell culture models lack the structural and functional properties derived from 3D-structure of cancer tissues, and animal models have issues such as species differences between humans and animals, immune function, high-throughput, producibility, and real-time pharmacokinetic evaluation. In fact, the probability that drug candidate administered to a cancer patient is approved is about 5%, which is lower than that of other drugs, and there is a large gap between non-clinical and clinical trials. In order to clarify the nature of cancer and to create new therapeutic intervention, it is necessary to develop a cancer model that reproduces such heterogeneity of cancer and to analyze the response to drugs. In vitro 3D-cancer models composed of human cells have great potential as a new cancer model. The paradigm shift from 2D to 3D culture models has led to significant progress in the study of 3D in vitro cancer models. To construct such 3D in vitro cancer models, it is important to develop biomaterials that can serve as scaffolds for cancer. Here, we will introduce the role of biomaterials for the construction of in vitro models of cancer microenvironment. By utilizing biomaterials, we will obtain in vitro models of the cancer microenvironment with stromal cells which can reproduce in vivo-like cell functions and drug responses, instead of the conventional in vitro cancer model that focuses only on cancer cells. The in vitro model of cancer microenvironment can be used as a drug evaluation model for drug screening, and also contribute to biomarker discovery and the realization of personalized medicine. By using a co-culture model that incorporates not only patient-derived cancer cells but also patient-derived immune cells, it is expected to be possible to construct a personalized in vitro model for cancer immunity.
