3D Model Evaluates Cancer Progress

A new application report** from AMSBIO introduces a more predictive and realistic model for early-stage drug screening of cancer therapeutics.

The report shows that incorporating vascular and stromal cells with breast cancer tumour spheroids allows them to more closely mimic the extracellular environment, cellular architecture and behaviour of actual tumors; this triculture promotes growth, invasion and endothelial recruitment.

Current 2D models for evaluating breast cancer progression do not provide a comprehensive, physiological approach to modeling the complex tumour microenvironment. 3D Tumour spheroids mark a significant advance over such 2D models in mimicking tumour physiology: like tumors, spheroid cultures exhibit cell-cell bond formation, comparable morphology, elevated cell survival and proliferation in their outer layers, while in the inner layers, they have reduced proliferation rates and a hypoxic core.

But while such Multi-Cellular Tumor Spheroids (MCTS) do provide a more physiological tumour model than 2D, other cell types are also essential for tumour behavior and cancer progression. Tissue vasculature provides a critical component, given the metabolic requirements of a growing tumor and known tumor-vascular interactions: so incorporating endothelial tubules with the MCTS adds interactions between vascular networks and growing tumors to the model. At the same time, stromal cells promote cell proliferation, dissemination, and drug resistance during cancer development.

In the report, a novel 3D spheroid triculture model for evaluating breast cancer progression is described.  In this model three different cell types are cultured together: a breast cancer cell line, together with human umbilical vein endothelial cells [HUVECs] and human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells [hMSCs] as an in vitro model for breast cancers in drug screening studies.

The proper physiology for each of these cell types is promoted using extracellular matrix proteins; and their activities and interactions assessed. The report demonstrates that in this triculture system, breast cancer MCTS exhibit cell-cell interactions with endothelial tubules and stromal cells, and there is an increase in both cell proliferation and invasion over the standard spheroid monoculture model.

To download a copy of this application report, click here.