In vivo, all cells reside within distinct and defined microenvironments called cell niches. Complex interactions between cells and their niche tightly regulate key biochemical processes within cells and, therefore, cell fate decisions, including cell death, cell proliferation, differentiation, and cellular senescence. Conventional cell culture on flat two-dimensional (2D) surfaces induces a forced apical-basal polarity and changes essential cell characteristics such as growth kinetics, differentiation potential, and the metabolic profile. 

Various three-dimensional (3D) cultivation methods have been developed to overcome the constraints of 2D cell culture. Alginate-based hydrogels, cellulose, collagen-based matrices, fibrin scaffolds, and animal-derived basement membrane extracts, such as mouse chondrosarcoma-derived Matrigel, are common 3D cell carriers. Although 3D cell culture mimics physiological cell niches more closely than 2D cell culture systems, cell cultivation in 3D is often associated with technical hurdles, including high viscosity of the substrates, opacity of the substrates hampering cell imaging, and challenging liberation of the cells for downstream analysis. 

The proposed collection will invite contributions highlighting modern state-of-the-art cultivation methods for stem cells, organoids, and complex multi-cellular systems in 3D.