Mimicking the Cellular Microenvironment with 3D Hydrogels Enables Target Discovery and Drug Screening

Drug discovery in cancer typically involves screening cells grown on 2-dimensional, hard plastic dishes; however, since human tissue is neither 2D nor plastic, this environment does not sufficiently emulate human disease. To overcome this limitation, we designed materials (i.e., hydrogels) for 3-dimensional cell culture with the goal of screening cells in an environment that mimics that of native tissue.