PEG-peptide hydrogels reveal differential effects of matrix microenvironmental cues on melanoma drug sensitivity.

ABSTRACT: Metastatic melanoma is highly drug resistant, though the exact mechanisms of this resistance are not completely understood. One method to study melanoma drug responsiveness in vitro is through the use of multicellular spheroids, which have been found to exhibit decreased drug sensitivity compared to traditional 2D culture on various substrates. Because it is unclear whether dimensionality, cell-matrix interactions, and/or cell-cell contacts may influence melanoma drug responsiveness, we utilized a synthetic PEG-based hydrogel to compare the responses of cells cultured on top of or encapsulated within matrices with the same adhesive ligand density, polymer density, and material properties. We found that depending on the stage of progression at which the melanoma cells were derived, the cell

SUBMITTER: Tokuda EY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5258768 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature