About this Research Topic
Infections and cancer are severe causes of death in the world and, although numerous therapeutic options exist, they are not always effective. Failure is due to several reasons including limitations of current pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo animal models, which are far from being reproducible and predictive of response to therapies. Therefore, there is the emerging need to develop novel and reliable in vitro 3D tumor models to study the efficacy of potential therapeutics, including vaccination and strategies aimed to enhance anti-tumor immune responses. This will allow standardized investigations and assays with a reproducible outcome.
In the last decades, different biomaterials have been proposed and developed for resembling the special features of lymphoid tissues or tumor microenvironment, including the proper stiffness and degradability. Among them, hydrogels, porous scaffolds and bioprinted materials have been utilized to hold cancer cells together with cells of the tumor microenvironment to recreate cancer lesions in many different cancer hystotypes such as breast, ovarian, prostate, melanoma and neuroblastoma. Tumor cell viability, proliferation, migration, immune-phenotype and sensitivity to anticancer drugs and immunotherapies have to be consolidated in order to proof the reliability of these novel 3D in vitro models.
We invite investigators to contribute with Original Research articles as well as Reviews, Minireviews or General Commentaries describing recent findings in the field of 3D models to test different therapies against cancer or immune-mediated diseases. Thus, potential topics include, but are not limited to:
• 3D cancer models for testing current and novel anticancer immunotherapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T and natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapies.
• 3D models for testing current and novel vaccination strategies.
• Tumor organoids and targeted immune-therapies.
• 3D cancer models for testing current and novel anticancer drugs.
Topic Editor Dr. Scaglione is employed at the startup React4life. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic theme
In the last decades, different biomaterials have been proposed and developed for resembling the special features of lymphoid tissues or tumor microenvironment, including the proper stiffness and degradability. Among them, hydrogels, porous scaffolds and bioprinted materials have been utilized to hold cancer cells together with cells of the tumor microenvironment to recreate cancer lesions in many different cancer hystotypes such as breast, ovarian, prostate, melanoma and neuroblastoma. Tumor cell viability, proliferation, migration, immune-phenotype and sensitivity to anticancer drugs and immunotherapies have to be consolidated in order to proof the reliability of these novel 3D in vitro models.
We invite investigators to contribute with Original Research articles as well as Reviews, Minireviews or General Commentaries describing recent findings in the field of 3D models to test different therapies against cancer or immune-mediated diseases. Thus, potential topics include, but are not limited to:
• 3D cancer models for testing current and novel anticancer immunotherapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T and natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapies.
• 3D models for testing current and novel vaccination strategies.
• Tumor organoids and targeted immune-therapies.
• 3D cancer models for testing current and novel anticancer drugs.
Topic Editor Dr. Scaglione is employed at the startup React4life. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regards to the Research Topic theme
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
