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Shooting for the moon: using tissue-mimetic hydrogels to gain new insight on cancer biology and screen therapeutics

  • Biomaterials for 3D Cell Biology Prospective Article
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Abstract

Tissue engineering holds great promise for advancing cancer research and achieving the goals of the Cancer Moonshot by providing better models for basic research and testing novel therapeutics. This paper focuses on the use of hydrogel biomaterials due to their unique ability to entrap cells in three-dimensional (3D) matrix that mimics tissues and can be programmed with physical and chemical cues to recreate key aspects of tumor microenvironments. The chemistry of some commonly used hydrogel platforms is discussed, and important examples of their use in tissue engineering 3D cancer models are highlighted. Challenges and opportunities for future research are also discussed.

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Acknowledgements

Support for this work was provided by a Strategic Areas Interdisciplinary Research Seed Grant to DLA, ESW, and RJO from Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, the Dwight Look College of Engineering, and the Texas A&M University Division of Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

    Samantha E. Holt, Raimund J. Ober & Daniel L. Alge

  2. Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas, USA

    E. Sally Ward & Raimund J. Ober

  3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

    Daniel L. Alge

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  1. Samantha E. Holt
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  2. E. Sally Ward
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  3. Raimund J. Ober
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  4. Daniel L. Alge
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Correspondence to Daniel L. Alge.

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Holt, S.E., Sally Ward, E., Ober, R.J. et al. Shooting for the moon: using tissue-mimetic hydrogels to gain new insight on cancer biology and screen therapeutics. MRS Communications 7, 427–441 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2017.86

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/mrc.2017.86

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