Advancements in 3D In Vitro Models for Colorectal Cancer.

The process of drug discovery and pre-clinical testing is currently inefficient, expensive, and time-consuming. Most importantly, the success rate is unsatisfactory, as only a small percentage of tested drugs are made available to oncological patients. This is largely due to the lack of reliable models that accurately predict drug efficacy and safety.

Metastatic components in colorectal cancer.

Recent experiments have shown that cells with different genetic mutations can give rise to cancer transformation, both and , supported by the crosstalk between cancer cells and stroma. The stroma and the complex set of involved cells make up the tumor microenvironment that supports the engraftment of metastatic cells. In fact, environmental factors support colorectal cancer arise by formation and maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSCs).

PTEN Tumor-Suppressor: The Dam of Stemness in Cancer.

is one of the most frequently inactivated tumor suppressor genes in cancer. Loss or variation in gene/protein levels is commonly observed in a broad spectrum of human cancers, while germline mutations cause inherited syndromes that lead to increased risk of tumors. restrains tumorigenesis through different mechanisms ranging from phosphatase-dependent and independent activities, subcellular localization and protein interaction, modulating a broad array of cellular functions including growth, proliferation, survival, DNA repair, and cell motility.