Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2019. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. Dec 26, 2019; 11(12): 1065-1083
Published online Dec 26, 2019. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v11.i12.1065
Three-dimensional cell culture systems as an in vitro platform for cancer and stem cell modeling
Nipha Chaicharoenaudomrung, Phongsakorn Kunhorm, Parinya Noisa
Nipha Chaicharoenaudomrung, Phongsakorn Kunhorm, Parinya Noisa, Laboratory of Cell-Based Assays and Innovations, School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand
Author contributions: Chaicharoenaudomrung N and Kunhorm P contributed equally to this work; Noisa P designed the layout of the review article and edited the work; Chaicharoenaudomrung N and Kunhorm P wrote the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Parinya Noisa, PhD, Assistant Professor, Laboratory of Cell-Based Assays and Innovations, School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, 111 University Avenue, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand. p.noisa@sut.ac.th
Telephone: +66-61-6266390 Fax: +66-44-224154
Received: February 27, 2019
Peer-review started: February 27, 2019
First decision: August 1, 2019
Revised: October 9, 2019
Accepted: November 4, 2019
Article in press: November 4, 2019
Published online: December 26, 2019
Processing time: 274 Days and 18 Hours
Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) culture systems are becoming increasingly popular due to their ability to mimic tissue-like structures more effectively than the monolayer cultures. In cancer and stem cell research, the natural cell characteristics and architectures are closely mimicked by the 3D cell models. Thus, the 3D cell cultures are promising and suitable systems for various proposes, ranging from disease modeling to drug target identification as well as potential therapeutic substances that may transform our lives. This review provides a comprehensive compendium of recent advancements in culturing cells, in particular cancer and stem cells, using 3D culture techniques. The major approaches highlighted here include cell spheroids, hydrogel embedding, bioreactors, scaffolds, and bioprinting. In addition, the progress of employing 3D cell culture systems as a platform for cancer and stem cell research was addressed, and the prominent studies of 3D cell culture systems were discussed.

Keywords: Three-dimensional cultures; Cancer; Stem cells; Disease modeling; In vitro screening platform

Core tip: Three-dimensional cell culture systems are considered an in vitro platform for cancer and stem cell research, which hold a great potential as a tool for drug discovery and disease modeling. With such systems, the success rate in disease modeling, drug target identification, and anticancer screening could be accelerated and result in an emergence of a novel and effective therapeutic means as well as the development of tissue replacement substances that may transform our lives.