Recent advances in tumors-on-chips

This chapter reviews the current status of tumor-on-a-chip (ToC) platforms for mimicking in vivo microenvironments for disease modeling and screening applications. The tumor complex environment includes different cell types, oxygen gradients, physical stresses, nutrients, while the waste product gradient differs as a function of distance from the vascular system. Conventional 2D models are unable to reveal interactive relationships among tumor cells, stromal cells, and physical and chemical microenvironment factors. Microfluidics technology has been introduced into ToCs to preserve tumor cells in a controlled encasement, while the dynamic physiological factors in the vasculature are imposed by the flow of the culture medium. We summarize existing microfluidic ToCs for different organs and discuss how they consider the desired tumor factors.