Application of Artificial Intelligence to In Vitro Tumor Modeling and Characterization of the Tumor Microenvironment.

ABSTRACT

In vitro tumor models have played vital roles in enhancing the understanding of the cellular and molecular composition of tumors, as well as their biochemical and biophysical characteristics. Advances in technology have enabled the evolution of tumor models from two-dimensional cell cultures to three-dimensional printed tumor models with increased levels of complexity and diverse output parameters. With the increase in complexity, the new generation of models is able to replicate the architecture and heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment more realistically than their predecessors. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been used extensively in healthcare and research, and AI-based tools have also been applied to the precise development of tumor models. The incorporation of AI facilitates the use of high-throughput systems for real-time monitoring of tumorigenesis and biophysical tumor properties, raising the possibility of using AI alongside tumor modeling for personalized medicine. Here, the integration of AI tools within tumor modeling is reviewed, including microfluidic devices and cancer-on-chip models.