4.1.1. Cancer
Already in 1990 an alginate culture method was used to test the effects of vincristine and 5‑fluorouracil on HT-29 human colon carcinoma cells [130]. Creating a more clinically relevant model of tumor biology has been a prime impetus for developing 3D culture systems. Burdett et al. [131] described the superiority of 3D over 2D cell culture where mimicking tumor behavior and drug resistance often seen in vivo is important. AlgiMatrix® is a commercial alginate-based product for 3D cell culture. Godugu et al. [110] demonstrate the possibility of using this culture system as an in vitro tumor model for anticancer drug screening. They treated several human non-small cell lung cancer cell lines (A549, H460, and H1650) with several anticancer drugs used in the clinic.