In-vitro Models in Anticancer Screening

Abstract

Cancer is one of the major life threatening diseases worldwide. Tumor cells have undergone various genetic and epigenetic alterations thereby making them markedly different from the normal cells. These underlying changes are the cause for cancer development, progression, and drug resistance. An in vitro model system which mimics the in vivo cancer is essential to study the various genetic, epigenetic and biochemical changes and also for screening anticancer drugs. The implications of in vitro tumor models in cancer research have been appreciated from early 1900s. The ease of maintenance and the simplicity in manipulation to develop high throughput assay have catapulted in vitro tumor models to the fore front of cancer research. The advancement in 3D cell culture, tumor cell biology, biomaterials, microfabrication and tissue engineering has enabled the diversification of in vitro tumor models to cater to specific applications. Moreover, further advances in these areas will help in creating specialized tumor models which will be used for personalized therapies for cancer. Here, we review the development and use of various in vitro model systems that have contributed in cancer treatment.