Mesenchymal-Endothelial Nexus in Breast Cancer Spheroids Induces Vasculogenesis and Local Invasion in a CAM Model

Using the synthetic tumor microenvironment mimics—a spheroid system composed of breast cancer cells (BCC) with defined human mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) and endothelial cell fractions, scientists showed that endothelial cell organization into vascular structures is BC phenotype dependent, and independent of ERα expression in epithelial cancer cells, and involves MSC-mediated Notch1 signaling.