Inflammation Immunity & Tumour Biology Lab

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer globally and is a significant contributor to cancer-related deaths among women. Despite substantial advancements, resistance to chemotherapeutics complicates the selection of patient-specific drugs. Conventional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture models cannot fully reflect the intra-tumor heterogeneity of breast cancer and the complex tumor microenvironment. In contrast, three-dimensional (3D) culture systems, like hetero-cellular spheroids, better replicate in vivo tumor architecture by supporting cells in three dimensions and forming complex extracellular matrix interactions (ECM), leading to oxygen and nutrient gradients that mimic in vivo conditions. Our lab has developed matrix-free, tunable hetero cellular breast cancer spheroid models for hormone-responsive Luminal A and triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) to understand the cellular cross-talk within the tumor microenvironment.