Figure 1.

The differences between the native tumor microenvironment (TME) and the conventional in vitro cancer models in terms of the recapitulation of physiological factors. (A) The physiological conditions within the native TME. (B) The features of the conventional 2D or plastic dish-based cancer models. Because the conventional cancer models do not reflect the important environmental cues observed in the TME, the behaviors and responses of cancer cells in vivo cannot be fully recapitulated in the experimental conditions. In particular, tests of the efficacy or cytotoxicity of anticancer drugs frequently show misleading drug screening results, increasing the time and cost of drug discovery.