Journal
GELS
Volume 8, Issue 6, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/gels8060332
Keywords
self-assembly; peptide; hydrogel; functionalisation; cancer; matrix
Categories
Funding
- Deakin School of Medicine Faculty HAtCH Grant
- ARC discovery project [DP130103131]
- NHMRC project [GNT1144996]
- NHMRC Dementia Research Leadership Fellowship [GNT1135687]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Metastatic tumors are complex ecosystems consisting of multiple cell types that exist within a specific microenvironment. The interactions between these cells and the signals in the microenvironment play a crucial role in determining tumor behavior. A novel functional model has been developed to mimic the biological, chemical, and contextual cues of a tumor in vivo, allowing for a better understanding of tumor progression and spread within the microenvironment.
Metastatic tumours are complex ecosystems; a community of multiple cell types, including cancerous cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells that exist within a supportive and specific microenvironment. The interplay of these cells, together with tissue specific chemical, structural and temporal signals within a three-dimensional (3D) habitat, direct tumour cell behavior, a subtlety that can be easily lost in 2D tissue culture. Here, we investigate a significantly improved tool, consisting of a novel matrix of functionally programmed peptide sequences, self-assembled into a scaffold to enable the growth and the migration of multicellular lung tumour spheroids, as proof-of-concept. This 3D functional model aims to mimic the biological, chemical, and contextual cues of an in vivo tumor more closely than a typically used, unstructured hydrogel, allowing spatial and temporal activity modelling. This approach shows promise as a cancer model, enhancing current understandings of how tumours progress and spread over time within their microenvironment.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available