Dormancy is a reversible growth-arrest state that allows cancer cells to survive hostile environments and later reactivate under favorable conditions. In breast cancer, metastatic cells can seed distant organs -often lung and bone- and recurrence may occur decades later. Bioengineered 3D in vitro models enable tuning biophysical and biochemical properties to better recapitulate physiological niches such as the tumor microenvironment (TME). Using hydrogel-based 3D cultures, our group studies dormancy-supportive and metastatic microenvironments in breast cancer. Incorporating patient-derived cancer cells increases the translational relevance of these models. In MATRIXinCANCER, in partnership with the Basque Biobank, we have established workflows across four hospitals to collect breast-cancer–related patient samples to study the TME and develop more complex, clinically relevant models. By integrating 2D and 3D cultures with TME characterization -through advanced imaging, immune profiling and other approaches-, our final goal is to build platforms for personalized drug testing.
TBD