ReviewNature methods2025
From 2D to 3D and beyond: the evolution and impact of in vitro tumor models in cancer research.
Review in Nature methods, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The rise and evolution of cancer mechanobiology: a bibliometric trajectory of three decades of research.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Pooled it
- Converging engineered models of cancer and artificial intelligence.Nature reviews. Cancer · 2026Article
- Biomimetic Scaffold-Based 3D Models for Decoding Cancer Biology and Advancing Therapy.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- Current Translational 3D In Vitro Models of Human Placental Tissue.Stem cell reviews and reports · 2026Review
- Current Perspectives on 2D and 3D Cell Culture Models in Cancer Research: Molecular Determinants of Tumor Biology and Therapeutic Response.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Review
- Research progress on the chemical and pharmacological effects ofInternational journal of molecular medicine · 2026Review
- Emerging organoids and organoids-on-chip platforms for translational development of antibody‒drug conjugates and next-generation bioconjugates.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2026Review
- Reversible Microfluidic Platform for Spheroid Culturing, Downstream Characterization, and Dynamic Anticancer Susceptibility Testing.ACS measurement science au · 2026Article
- Synergistic magnetic nano-chemotherapy overcomes chemoresistance in 3D breast cancer models.Mikrochimica acta · 2026Article
- Matricellular Proteins in Bladder Cancer: Context-Dependent Roles in Tumor Promotion and Suppression.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- New approach methodologies for next-generation risk assessment of nanomaterials and nano-enabled products.Nano convergence · 2026Review
- One-Pot Depolymerization, Demethylation, and Phenolation of Lignin for Bioactive Polyphenol Production.ChemSusChem · 2026Article
- Deconstructing cancer in 3D: models, mechanisms, and personalized solutions.Molecular cancer · 2026Review
- Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in lab-based research. What is the added value? Reflections from a researcher and public contributor perspective.Research involvement and engagement · 2026Article
- Integrated 2D-3D Proteomic Profiling Identifies MLK4 as a Microenvironment-Responsive Regulator of Chemotherapeutic Resistance in Human Glioblastoma Cells.Biology of the cell · 2026Article
- Nature-Inspired Solutions: Biomimetic Materials and Adaptive Devices for Precision Urinary Oncology.Cancers · 2026Review
- Engineering Bone-Mimetic Microspheres to Recapitulate the Tumor Microenvironment for In Vitro Osteosarcoma Modeling.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Why in vivo models of disease remain indispensable.Disease models & mechanisms · 2026Article
- Combination of extracellular vesicles and organoids as a prospective model for cancer research (Review).Oncology letters · 2026Review
- 3D "Emboli" Culture Models Epithelial Breast Cancer Cell Oxidative Mitochondrial Metabolism with Relevance for Lung Metastasis.Cancer research communications · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
In vitro tumor models are essential tools for cancer research, offering key insights into not only tumor biology but also therapeutic responses. The transition from traditional two-dimensional to three-dimensional organoid systems marks a paradigm shift in cancer modeling. Although two-dimensional models have been instrumental in elucidating fundamental molecular and genetic mechanisms, they fail to accurately replicate the intricate three-dimensional architecture and dynamic microenvironment characteristic of human tumors. Here we outline how advanced organoid technologies now enable more faithful recapitulation of tumor heterogeneity that better mimic native tissue mechanics and biochemistry. We discuss emerging methods, including air-liquid interface cultures, microfluidic tumor-on-a-chip devices and high-content imaging integrated with machine learning, which collectively address longstanding challenges such as matrix variability and the limited incorporation of immune and vascular elements. These innovations promise to enhance reproducibility and scalability while providing unprecedented insights into tumor biology, cancer progression and therapeutic strategies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
40715728What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.