Tumor microenvironment-based screening repurposes drugs targeting cancer stem cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts.

ABSTRACT: The tumorous niche may drive the plasticity of heterogeneity and cancer stemness, leading to drug resistance and metastasis, which is the main reason of treatment failure in most cancer patients. The aim of this study was to establish a tumor microenvironment (TME)-based screening to identify drugs that can specifically target cancer stem cells (CSCs) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the TME. Methods: Lung cancer patient-derived cancer cell and CAFs were utilized to mimic the TME and reproduce the stemness properties of CSCs in vitro and develop a high-throughput drug screening platform with phenotypical parameters. Limiting dilution assay, sphere-forming and ALDH activity assay were utilized to measure the cancer stemness characteristics. In vivo patient-de

SUBMITTER: Lee PJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8490509 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature