Microfluidic platforms for the study of cancer metastasis

Abstract

Metastases many a time leave cancer patients untreatable and are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Microfluidic platforms are arguably the most suitable for the study of cancer metastasis given its ability to mimic in vivo microenvironment of cancer tumor by manipulating its mechanical properties. This review discusses some applications of microfluidic platforms and their advantages for cancer biology and pathology. Studies of cancer metastasis conducted on its compositional steps enable us to elucidate elementary mechanisms through disease modeling. From that, communication and interaction of cancer cells, cellular metabolism related issues, and ultimately cancer drug discovery and delivery are manipulated on microfluidic platforms. © 2012 Korean Society of Medical and Biological Engineering and Springer.