Chapters authored
Recent Approaches Encompassing the Phenotypic Cell Heterogeneity for Anticancer Drug Efficacy Evaluation
Despite the advancements in biomarker-based personalized cancer therapy, the inadequacy of molecular and genetic profiling in identifying effective drug combinations was defined in most cases. Drug resistance remains a major limitation of the current predictive oncology. Emerging reports indicate that the success of anticancer therapy is usually limited by intratumoral heterogeneity which is not captured by the existing cancer cell biomarker-based approaches. Cell heterogeneity, not only genetic but also phenotypic, is considered to be the root cause of resistance to anticancer treatment, cancer progression, and the presence of cancer stem cells. Therefore, functional testing of live cells representing various cell types within the tumor exposed to potential therapies is needed for identification of effective drug combinations. Here we look at the different existing model systems, including ex vivo models of the patient’s tumor cells, 2D/3D in vitro cultures/cocultures, patient-derived cellular organoids, single-cell models, ex vivo tumor platforms containing tumor microenvironment and extracellular matrix, etc., scoping at drug efficacy evaluation and solving the problem of cancer resistance.
Part of the book: Tumor Progression and Metastasis