APPLICATION OF DNA-DIRECTED PATTERNING TO FABRICATE AN IN VITRO BONE MARROW MICROENVIRONMENT FOR THE HIGH-THROUGHPUT STUDY OF PROSTATE CANCER DORMANCY.

In metastatic cancer, the secondary microenvironment consists of numerous cell types, each signaling with, and potentially supporting, the disseminated tumor cell. However, in vitro models have thus far been limited in their complexity, ultimately hindering study. To overcome this, we report the optimization and application of a high-throughput method, DNA-directed patterning, to pattern different cell types from the bone marrow microenvironment for the study of prostate cancer proliferation within this environment. We show that cells in our patterned microenvironment maintain their phenotype and behavior. Moreover, we demonstrate the successful introduction of prostate cancer cells in our microenvironment to investigate dormancy.