Cancer Metastasis-on-a-Chip for Modelling Metastatic Cascade and Drug Screening.

Microfluidic chips are valuable tools for studying intricate cellular and cell-microenvironment interactions. Traditional in vitro cancer models lack accuracy in mimicking the complexities of in vivo tumor microenvironment. However, cancer-metastasis-on-a-chip (CMoC) models combine the advantages of three dimensional (3D) cultures and microfluidic technology, serving as powerful platforms for exploring cancer mechanisms and facilitating drug screening. These chips are able to compartmentalize the metastatic cascade, deepening our understanding of its underlying mechanisms. This article provides an overview of current CMoC models, focusing on distinctive models that simulate invasion, intravasation, circulation, extravasation, and colonization, and their applications in drug screening. Furthermore, we discuss challenges faced by CMoC and microfluidic technologies, while exploring promising future directions in cancer research. The ongoing development and integration of these models into cancer studies are expected to drive transformative advancements in the field. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.