System can implement localized anticancer drugs against a tumor spheroid and assess drug penetration
System can implement localized anticancer drugs against a tumor spheroid and assess drug penetration lead image
When developing anticancer drugs, their effect on suppression of cancer cell proliferation should be taken into effect as well as their ability to penetrate tissues.
For the first time, researchers have developed a culture system that can perform localized drug exposure against tumor spheroids and can potentially be used to assess drug penetration. Tumor spheroids are three-dimensional models of tumor cells that can be used as accurate models of in vivo solid tumors and as in vitro models for screening new anticancer drugs.
Kaneda et al. developed their system by observing and comparing cell proliferation of both the part of a tumor spheroid exposed to anticancer drugs and a section that was not exposed to anticancer drugs.
By developing a system based on commercially available Boyden chamber plates, the researchers were able to assess drug penetration and cancer cell proliferation in a simple and user-friendly manner.
The authors used a thin membrane with a through-hole to conduct localized anticancer treatment of tumor spheroids and monitor spheroid dimensions as an indicator of cell proliferation.
“We want to use the system to investigate effects of a low nutrient and hypoxia on drug effectiveness and penetration by applying different conditions of nutrient and oxygen concentration independently to the part of the spheroid not exposed to drugs. We can control such conditions freely in a single tumor spheroid by using present compartmentalized system,” Kaneda said.
The authors emphasized their development of this culture system was based on design criteria, such as “simple,” “easy to make and use,” “cheaper” and “compatible with conventional liquid handling robotic systems.”
Source: “Boyden chamber-based compartmentalized tumor spheroid culture system to implement localized anticancer drug treatment,” by Shohei Kaneda, Jiro Kawada, Marie Shinohara, Momoko Kumemura, Ryohei Ueno, Tomoaki Kawamoto, Kenji Suzuki, Beomjoon Kim, Yoshiho Ikeuchi, Yasuyuki Sakai, Dominique Collard, Hiroyuki Fujita, and Teruo Fuji, Biomicrofluidics (2019). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5125650 .
