Cells that make up tissues and organs are situated within a complex 3D structure known as the extracellular matrix (ECM). Despite this, a large proportion of the current research undertaken on these cells is being performed using 2D cultures.

The shape, size, and functionality of a cell is largely affected by the physical environment in which it is grown. Because of this, 2D cultures are unable to maintain the natural physiological shape of the cells and therefore crucial cell-cell and cell-ECM interactions are lost. 3D cell cultures have proven to provide a more adequate model of in vivo physiological conditions, maintaining these critical cellular interactions, and therefore provide a better representation of cell behavior.