Growing Cells Beyond the Petri Dish

Image made by Stephanie Wang

A recent publication in the journal Epigenetics has raised interesting questions about the way we handle cancer research today.  The researchers in charge of the study claim that the average petri dish may not be providing scientists with accurate information on the real-life growth patterns of cancer cells. 

DesRochers et al. study oral cancers and in their most recent paper, they uncovered the effect of utilizing a 3D environment simulating the lining of the mouth to grow clonal cell populations.  Through the use of bioengineered human tissue, the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine researchers found that a tumor's  microenvironment plays a strong role in the cancer's progression, focusing especially on the role of E-cadherin expression. 

If this is the case, then we are studying cancer cells in the wrong way. DesRochers et al.'s discovery has the potential to transform our current approach towards cell culture. This study highlights an issue that many scientists face: in order to control for outside factors, researchers may in the process produce faulty imitations of reality. 


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