Patient-derived tumor organoid and fibroblast assembloid models for interrogation of the tumor microenvironment in esophageal adenocarcinoma.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) comprises all non-tumor elements of cancer and strongly influences disease progression and phenotype. To understand tumor biology and accurately test new therapeutic strategies, representative models should contain both tumor cells and normal cells of the TME. Here, we describe and characterize co-culture tumor-derived organoids and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a major component of the TME, in matrix-embedded assembloid models of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC).

The role of three-dimensional in vitro models in modelling the inflammatory microenvironment associated with obesity in breast cancer.

Obesity is an established risk factor for breast cancer in postmenopausal women. However, the underlying biological mechanisms of how obesity contributes to breast cancer remains unclear. The inflammatory adipose microenvironment is central to breast cancer progression and has been shown to favour breast cancer cell growth and to reduce efficacy of anti-cancer treatments.