Cancer is one of the leading causes of death both in the United States and worldwide. The dynamic microenvironment in which tumors grow consists of fibroblasts, immune cells, extracellular matrix (ECM), and cytokines that enable progression and metastasis. Novel biomaterials that mimic these complex surroundings give insight into the biological, chemical, and physical environment that cause cancer cells to metastasize and invade into other tissues. Two-dimensional (2D) cultures are useful for gaining limited information about cancer cell behavior; however, they do not accurately represent the environments that cells experience in vivo. Recent advances in the design and tunability of diverse three-dimensional (3D) biomaterials complement biological knowledge and allow for improved recapitulation of in vivo conditions. Understanding cell–ECM and cell–cell interactions that facilitate tumor survival will accelerate the design of more effective therapies. This review discusses innovative materials currently being used to study tumor and immune cell behavior and interactions, including materials that mimic the ECM composition, mechanical stiffness, and integrin binding sites of the tumor microenvironment.

癌症是美国和全世界的主要原因之一。肿瘤生长的动态微环境由成纤维细胞、免疫细胞、细胞外基质 (ECM) 和促进进展和转移的细胞因子组成。模仿这些复杂环境的新型生物材料可以深入了解导致癌细胞转移和侵入其他组织的生物、化学和物理环境。二维 (2D) 培养物可用于获取有关癌细胞行为的有限信息；然而，它们并不能准确地代表细胞在体内经历的环境。各种三维 (3D) 生物材料的设计和可调性方面的最新进展补充了生物学知识，并允许改进体内条件的再现。了解促进肿瘤存活的细胞-ECM 和细胞-细胞相互作用将加速更有效疗法的设计。本综述讨论了目前用于研究肿瘤和免疫细胞行为和相互作用的创新材料，包括模拟肿瘤微环境的 ECM 成分、机械刚度和整合素结合位点的材料。