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Fig. 2 | Journal of Biological Engineering

Fig. 2

From: Native-mimicking in vitro microenvironment: an elusive and seductive future for tumor modeling and tissue engineering

Fig. 2

Normal and tumor ECM components and organizations in epithelial tissues. Native tissue ECM is modified by the activities of the cells living within it. While normal epithelial cells are isolated from connective tissue ECM by BM and barely apply modifications to the surrounding matrix, invasive epithelial cancer cells breakdown BM and aggressively remodel the surrounding ECM to build up TME, which harbors multi-lineage cells, newly produced ECM proteins to reinforce ECM structures, and enrich biomolecules in favor of tumor progression

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Journal of Biological Engineering

ISSN: 1754-1611