Breast cancer remains a major cause of illness and death worldwide, underscoring the need for more effective treatments. To understand the disease and evaluate potential therapies, researchers use in vitro models to gather preclinical data on drug screening, molecular pathways, and interactions between cancer cells and their environment. These models include 2D monolayer cultures, 3D spheroids, organoids, and microfluidic systems, among others. Although they enable detailed analysis, they cannot fully reproduce the complexity of a tumor microenvironment. Advances such as CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, humanized mouse models, 3D bioprinting, and patient-derived organoids are helping to narrow the gap between preclinical findings and clinical applications (Das, Sahoo, Pattanaik, Prusty, Barik, Satapathy, and Pattnaik, 2025).
New Tools in Breast Cancer Research
To better understand breast cancer, researchers need models that capture the complexity of the disease. This includes models of the breast tissue microenvironment, the metastatic sites microenvironment, and models that are designed to specifically mimic each step of the cancer metastatic cascade. Researchers can use a combination of methods, for example tumor spheroids, 3D printed biomaterials, and microfluidic designs to try and capture specific aspects of the tumor microenvironment to better understand sources of tumor heterogeneity (Higgins, Yu, and Gomillion, 2025).
3D in vitro models have come into focus as a powerful new tool in breast cancer research as a 3D model can better capture the architecture, cellular interactions, and microenvironment of a tumor when compared to what traditional 2D models can provide on their own. The enhanced insights researchers can gain from these new models help scientists better understand and investigate key processes like tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis (Higgins, Yu, and Gomillion, 2025).
Bridging the Gap
As mentioned, there exists a gap in understanding between traditional in vitro methods of studying breast cancer and ways the disease interacts with the body and its systems. The new 3D models that have been developed and used in recent years have helped to bridge the gap between the information that can be gathered in a lab and the ways it can be practically applied to better understanding how cancer works and ways to fight it.
A 2026 review highlights why no single model can provide a comprehensive understanding of a tumor. The authors describe how integrating complementary models, including patient-derived 3D systems and mouse models, with advanced imaging technologies can support non-invasive monitoring of tumor growth, microenvironment changes, metastatic progression, and response to therapies. These integrated approaches can improve the predictive value of preclinical studies and support the development of more personalized breast cancer diagnostics and treatments (Terlizzi, Ferrara, and Sarnella, 2026).
Sourcing the Right Samples
Whether you’re using traditional in vitro models or advanced 3D systems, sample selection should match your research question and workflow. High-quality cancer samples are an important starting point for generating meaningful, reproducible data. Innovative Research supplies researchers around the world with human cancer samples for their research. Browse our cancer biorepository of human biofluids from consenting donors to assess available samples for your in vitro workflows.
References
Das S, Sahoo S, Pattanaik S, Prusty RK, Barik B, Satapathy BS, Pattnaik G. Advancing breast cancer research: a comprehensive review of in vitro and in vivo experimental models. Med Oncol. 2025 Jul 9;42(8):316. doi: 10.1007/s12032-025-02865-4. PMID: 40632186. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40632186/
K. S. Higgins, A. J. Yu, and C. T. Gomillion, “ 3D In Vitro Models of Breast Cancer: Current Challenges and Future Prospects Toward Recapitulating the Microenvironment and Mimicking Key Processes.” Adv. Biology 9, no. 11 (2025): e00846. https://doi.org/10.1002/adbi.202400846
Terlizzi, C.; Ferrara, Y.; Sarnella, A. Bridging In Vitro and Murine Breast Cancer Models: Advanced Imaging Across Multiscale Experimental Platforms. Cancers 2026, 18, 2469. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18152469