Application of Microfluidic Systems for Breast Cancer Research
Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control; breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. Due to early screening and advancements in therapeutic interventions, deaths from breast cancer have declined over time, although breast cancer remains the secon...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Micromachines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/13/2/152 |
| _version_ | 1797477973003075584 |
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| author | Zachary D. Frankman Linan Jiang Joyce A. Schroeder Yitshak Zohar |
| author_facet | Zachary D. Frankman Linan Jiang Joyce A. Schroeder Yitshak Zohar |
| author_sort | Zachary D. Frankman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control; breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. Due to early screening and advancements in therapeutic interventions, deaths from breast cancer have declined over time, although breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death among women. Most deaths are due to metastasis, as cancer cells from the primary tumor in the breast form secondary tumors in remote sites in distant organs. Over many years, the basic biological mechanisms of breast cancer initiation and progression, as well as the subsequent metastatic cascade, have been studied using cell cultures and animal models. These models, although extremely useful for delineating cellular mechanisms, are poor predictors of physiological responses, primarily due to lack of proper microenvironments. In the last decade, microfluidics has emerged as a technology that could lead to a paradigm shift in breast cancer research. With the introduction of the organ-on-a-chip concept, microfluidic-based systems have been developed to reconstitute the dominant functions of several organs. These systems enable the construction of 3D cellular co-cultures mimicking in vivo tissue-level microenvironments, including that of breast cancer. Several reviews have been presented focusing on breast cancer formation, growth and metastasis, including invasion, intravasation, and extravasation. In this review, realizing that breast cancer can recur decades following post-treatment disease-free survival, we expand the discussion to account for microfluidic applications in the important areas of breast cancer detection, dormancy, and therapeutic development. It appears that, in the future, the role of microfluidics will only increase in the effort to eradicate breast cancer. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:25:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-23cf2770f7f94f90bf42124e94f3effc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:25:23Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj.art-23cf2770f7f94f90bf42124e94f3effc2023-11-23T21:09:25ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2022-01-0113215210.3390/mi13020152Application of Microfluidic Systems for Breast Cancer ResearchZachary D. Frankman0Linan Jiang1Joyce A. Schroeder2Yitshak Zohar3Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USACancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control; breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. Due to early screening and advancements in therapeutic interventions, deaths from breast cancer have declined over time, although breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer death among women. Most deaths are due to metastasis, as cancer cells from the primary tumor in the breast form secondary tumors in remote sites in distant organs. Over many years, the basic biological mechanisms of breast cancer initiation and progression, as well as the subsequent metastatic cascade, have been studied using cell cultures and animal models. These models, although extremely useful for delineating cellular mechanisms, are poor predictors of physiological responses, primarily due to lack of proper microenvironments. In the last decade, microfluidics has emerged as a technology that could lead to a paradigm shift in breast cancer research. With the introduction of the organ-on-a-chip concept, microfluidic-based systems have been developed to reconstitute the dominant functions of several organs. These systems enable the construction of 3D cellular co-cultures mimicking in vivo tissue-level microenvironments, including that of breast cancer. Several reviews have been presented focusing on breast cancer formation, growth and metastasis, including invasion, intravasation, and extravasation. In this review, realizing that breast cancer can recur decades following post-treatment disease-free survival, we expand the discussion to account for microfluidic applications in the important areas of breast cancer detection, dormancy, and therapeutic development. It appears that, in the future, the role of microfluidics will only increase in the effort to eradicate breast cancer.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/13/2/152breast cancermicrofluidicsmetastasisdormancydrug development |
| spellingShingle | Zachary D. Frankman Linan Jiang Joyce A. Schroeder Yitshak Zohar Application of Microfluidic Systems for Breast Cancer Research Micromachines breast cancer microfluidics metastasis dormancy drug development |
| title | Application of Microfluidic Systems for Breast Cancer Research |
| title_full | Application of Microfluidic Systems for Breast Cancer Research |
| title_fullStr | Application of Microfluidic Systems for Breast Cancer Research |
| title_full_unstemmed | Application of Microfluidic Systems for Breast Cancer Research |
| title_short | Application of Microfluidic Systems for Breast Cancer Research |
| title_sort | application of microfluidic systems for breast cancer research |
| topic | breast cancer microfluidics metastasis dormancy drug development |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/13/2/152 |
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