Charbe N, McCarron PA, Tambuwala MM. Three-dimensional bio-printing: A new frontier in oncology research. World J Clin Oncol 2017; 8(1): 21-36 [PMID: 28246583 DOI: 10.5306/wjco.v8.i1.21]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Dr. Murtaza M Tambuwala, PhD, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Ulster, Coleraine, County Londonderry, Coleraine, Northern Ireland BT52 1SA, United Kingdom. m.tambuwala@ulster.ac.uk
Research Domain of This Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
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/
World J Clin Oncol. Feb 10, 2017; 8(1): 21-36 Published online Feb 10, 2017. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v8.i1.21
Three-dimensional bio-printing: A new frontier in oncology research
Nitin Charbe, Paul A McCarron, Murtaza M Tambuwala
Nitin Charbe, Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, L. Sacco University Hospital, University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy
Paul A McCarron, Murtaza M Tambuwala, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Ulster, Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland BT52 1SA, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Charbe N performed the literature search and wrote first draft of the manuscript; McCarron PA edited the manuscript and provided expert scientific guidance; Tambuwala MM conceptualized the review topic and wrote and edited the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interests for this article.
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/
Correspondence to: Dr. Murtaza M Tambuwala, PhD, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Ulster, Coleraine, County Londonderry, Coleraine, Northern Ireland BT52 1SA, United Kingdom. m.tambuwala@ulster.ac.uk
Telephone: +44-28-70124016 Fax: +44-28-70123518
Received: September 1, 2016 Peer-review started: September 5, 2016 First decision: September 29, 2016 Revised: November 2, 2016 Accepted: December 7, 2016 Article in press: December 9, 2016 Published online: February 10, 2017
Abstract
Current research in oncology deploys methods that rely principally on two-dimensional (2D) mono-cell cultures and animal models. Although these methodologies have led to significant advancement in the development of novel experimental therapeutic agents with promising anticancer activity in the laboratory, clinicians still struggle to manage cancer in the clinical setting. The disappointing translational success is attributable mainly to poor representation and recreation of the cancer microenvironment present in human neoplasia. Three-dimensional (3D) bio-printed models could help to simulate this micro-environment, with recent bio-printing of live human cells demonstrating that effective in vitro replication is achievable. This literature review outlines up-to-date advancements and developments in the use of 3D bio-printed models currently being used in oncology research. These innovative advancements in 3D bio-printing open up a new frontier for oncology research and could herald an era of progressive clinical cancer therapeutics.
Core tip: This review highlights the recent advancements in three-dimensional (3D) bio-printing in the field of oncology research and how the use of 3D bio-printed models can revolutionise and accelerate the development of new cancer therapeutics for human use.
