Research Highlights

Cracking the Code of Skin Cancer Progression with VitroGel® Hydrogel Matrix

Posted on by Kyra Baricaua

Using VitroGel® to model tumor–stroma crosstalk in 3D and uncover new therapeutic targets in skin cancer.

Category:
3D Cell models

Subcategory:
In Vitro Models

Cell Type:
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cells (A431, SCC-12) and human dermal fibroblasts (BJ, NHDF), including activated cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF-like cells).

Hydrogel:
VitroGel® Hydrogel Matrix (VHM01)

Team:

Asad U. Khan, Qiushi Wang , Eunmiri Roh, Sally E. Dickinson, Georg T. Wondrak, Clara Curiel-Lewandowski, Ann M. Bode, and Tianshun Zhang

Institutions:

  • The Hormel Institute (University of Minnesota),
  • University of Arizona
  • Kwangju Women’s University (Korea)

Solar UV-induced skin cancers, like cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), are driven not only by cancer cells themselves but also by their interaction with surrounding fibroblasts. Traditional 2D cultures fail to replicate this complex tumor–stroma communication, limiting our understanding of how tumors grow and spread. To overcome this, Khan and team used VitroGel® Hydrogel Matrix to create 3D models that better mimic real skin cancer tissue.

VitroGel® enabled the formation of 3D spheroids combining cSCC cells and fibroblasts, replicating the physical and biochemical interactions of the tumor microenvironment. This system allowed researchers to clearly observe how the cancer-promoting protein TOPK drives IL19 expression, which in turn activates fibroblasts—creating a vicious loop that enhances tumor growth and migration.

TOPK knockdown significantly reduced IL19 production, fibroblast activation, and cancer cell proliferation in both spheroid and insert co-culture systems. The study revealed TOPK–IL19 signaling as a key driver of tumor–stroma crosstalk in skin cancer.

VitroGel® played a crucial role in uncovering a tumor-supportive feedback loop between skin cancer cells and fibroblasts. Enabling realistic 3D modeling of the tumor microenvironment helped identify TOPK as a promising therapeutic target for non-melanoma skin cancer.

PRODUCT USED:

VitroGel® Hydrogel Matrix

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