3D culture technologies of cancer stem cells: promising ex vivo tumor models

Cancer stem cells have been shown to be important in tumorigenesis processes, such as tumor growth, metastasis, and recurrence. As such, many three-dimensional models have been developed to establish anex vivomicroenvironment that cancer stem cells experience underin vivoconditions. Cancer stem cells propagating in three-dimensional culture systems show physiologically related signaling pathway profiles, gene expression, cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions, and drug resistance that reflect at least some of the tumor properties seenin vivo. Herein, we discussed the presently available Cancer stem cell three-dimensional culture models that use biomaterials and engineering tools and the biological implications of these models compared to the conventional ones.