Uncoupling Traditional Functionalities of Metastasis: The Parting of Ways with Real-Time Assays.

ABSTRACT: The experimental evaluation of metastasis overly focuses on the gain of migratory and invasive properties, while disregarding the contributions of cellular plasticity, extra-cellular matrix heterogeneity, niche interactions, and tissue architecture. Traditional cell-based assays often restrict the inclusion of these processes and warrant the implementation of approaches that provide an enhanced spatiotemporal resolution of the metastatic cascade. Time lapse imaging represents such an underutilized approach in cancer biology, especially in the context of disease progression. The inclusion of time lapse microscopy and microfluidic devices in routine assays has recently discerned several nuances of the metastatic cascade. Our review emphasizes that a complete comprehension of metastasis in vi

SUBMITTER: Varankar SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6678138 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature