PDMS well platform for culturing millimeter-size tumor spheroids

Towards a New 3Rs Era in the construction of 3D cell culture models simulating tumor microenvironment

Three-dimensional cell culture technology (3DCC) sits between two-dimensional cell culture (2DCC) and animal models and is widely used in oncology research. Compared to 2DCC, 3DCC allows cells to grow in a three-dimensional space, better simulating the in vivo growth environment of tumors, including hypoxia, nutrient concentration gradients, micro angiogenesis mimicism, and the interaction between tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment matrix. 3DCC has unparalleled advantages when compared to animal models, being more controllable, operable, and convenient. This review summarizes the comparison between 2DCC and 3DCC, as well as recent advances in different methods to obtain 3D models and their respective advantages and disadvantages.

Recent Advances in Three-Dimensional Multicellular Spheroid Culture and Future Development

Three-dimensional multicellular spheroids (MCSs) have received extensive attention in the field of biomedicine due to their ability to simulate the structure and function of tissues in vivo more accurately than traditional in vitro two-dimensional models and to simulate cell-cell and cell extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions. It has become an important in vitro three-dimensional model for tumor research, high-throughput drug screening, tissue engineering, and basic biology research. In the review, we first summarize methods for MCSs generation and their respective advantages and disadvantages and highlight the advances of hydrogel and microfluidic systems in the generation of spheroids. Then, we look at the application of MCSs in cancer research and other aspects. Finally, we discuss the development direction and prospects of MCSs.

Soft Ring-Shaped Cellu-Robots with Simultaneous Locomotion in Batches

Untethered mini-robots can move single cells or aggregates to build complex constructs in confined spaces and may enable various biomedical applications such as regenerative repair in medicine and biosensing in bioengineering. However, a significant challenge is the ability to control multiple microrobots simultaneously in the same space to operate toward a common goal in a distributed operation. A locomotion strategy that can simultaneously guide the formation and operation of multiple robots in response to a common acoustic stimulus is developed. The scaffold-free cellu-robots comprise only highly packed cells and eliminate the influence of supportive materials, making them less cumbersome during locomotion. The ring shape of the cellu-robot contributes to anisotropic cellular interactions which induce radial cellular orientation. Under a single stimulus, several cellu-robots form predetermined complex structures such as bracelet-like ring-chains which transform into a single new living entity through cell-cell interactions, migration or cellular extensions between cellu-robots.

Identifying drug resistant cancer cells using microbubble well arrays

Drug resistance is a characteristic of tumor initiating cells that can give rise to metastatic disease. In this work we demonstrate the use of microbubble well arrays as a cell culture platform to enumerate and characterize drug resistant cells in a human derived tumorigenic squamous cell carcinoma cell line. The spherical architecture and compliant hydrophobic composition of the microbubble well favors single cell survival, clonal proliferation and formation of spheres that do not grow on standard tissue culture plastic and are resistant to cisplatin. Spheres form in isolation and in microbubble wells containing proliferating cells and to some degree they stain positive for common stem cell markers CD44 and CD133. Spheres are also observed in cellularized primary human tumors cultured in microbubble arrays. This proof-of-concept study illustrates the potential for microbubble array technology to enumerate cancer cells resistant to standard care drugs with the ability to test alternative drug combinations. This capability can be developed for designing patient specific treatment strategies. Recovery of drug-resistant cells will allow a more full characterization of their gene expression profile thereby expanding our fundamental knowledge and ability to develop new targets to fight metastatic disease.

Enhanced In Vitro Biocompatibility of Chemically Modified Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Surfaces for Stable Adhesion and Long-term Investigation of Brain Cerebral Cortex Cells

Studies on the mammalian brain cerebral cortex have gained increasing importance due to the relevance of the region in controlling critical higher brain functions. Interactions between the cortical cells and surface extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins play a pivotal role in promoting stable cell adhesion, growth, and function. Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) based platforms have been increasingly used for on-chip in vitro cellular system analysis. However, the inherent hydrophobicity of the PDMS surface has been unfavorable for any long-term cell system investigations due to transitory physical adsorption of ECM proteins on PDMS surfaces followed by eventual cell dislodgement due to poor anchorage and viability. To address this critical issue, we employed the (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) based cross-linking strategy to stabilize ECM protein immobilization on PDMS. The efficiency of surface modification in supporting adhesion and long-term viability of neuronal and glial cells was analyzed. The chemically modified surfaces showed a relatively higher cell survival with an increased neurite length and neurite branching. These changes were understood in terms of an increase in surface hydrophilicity, protein stability, and cell-ECM protein interactions. The modification strategy could be successfully applied for stable cortical cell culture on the PDMS microchip for up to 3 weeks in vitro.

Fabrication of multi-well chips for spheroid cultures and implantable constructs through rapid prototyping techniques

Three-dimensional (3D) culture models are widely used in basic and translational research. In this study, to generate and culture multiple 3D cell spheroids, we exploited laser ablation and replica molding for the fabrication of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) multi-well chips, which were validated using articular chondrocytes (ACs). Multi-well ACs spheroids were comparable or superior to standard spheroids, as revealed by glycosaminoglycan and type-II collagen deposition. Moreover, the use of our multi-well chips significantly reduced the operation time for cell seeding and medium refresh. Exploiting a similar approach, we used clinical-grade fibrin to generate implantable multi-well constructs allowing for the precise distribution of multiple cell types. Multi-well fibrin constructs were seeded with ACs generating high cell density regions, as shown by histology and cell fluorescent staining. Multi-well constructs were compared to standard constructs with homogeneously distributed ACs. After 7 days in vitro, expression of SOX9, ACAN, COL2A1, and COMP was increased in both constructs, with multi-well constructs expressing significantly higher levels of chondrogenic genes than standard constructs. After 5 weeks in vivo, we found that despite a dramatic size reduction, the cell distribution pattern was maintained and glycosaminoglycan content per wet weight was significantly increased respect to pre-implantation samples. In conclusion, multi-well chips for the generation and culture of multiple cell spheroids can be fabricated by low-cost rapid prototyping techniques. Furthermore, these techniques can be used to generate implantable constructs with defined architecture and controlled cell distribution, allowing for in vitro and in vivo investigation of cell interactions in a 3D environment.

Tissue-engineered models of human tumors for cancer research

INTRODUCTION

Drug toxicity often goes undetected until clinical trials, which are the most costly and dangerous phase of drug development. Both the cultures of human cells and animal studies have limitations that cannot be overcome by incremental improvements in drug-testing protocols. A new generation of bioengineered tumors is now emerging in response to these limitations, with potential to transform drug screening by providing predictive models of tumors within their tissue context, for studies of drug safety and efficacy. An area that could greatly benefit from these models is cancer research.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, the authors first describe the engineered tumor systems, using Ewing's sarcoma as an example of human tumor that cannot be predictably studied in cell culture and animal models. Then, they discuss the importance of the tissue context for cancer progression and outline the biomimetic principles for engineering human tumors. Finally, they discuss the utility of bioengineered tumor models for cancer research and address the challenges in modeling human tumors for use in drug discovery and testing.

EXPERT OPINION

While tissue models are just emerging as a new tool for cancer drug discovery, they are already demonstrating potential for recapitulating, in vitro, the native behavior of human tumors. Still, numerous challenges need to be addressed before we can have platforms with a predictive power appropriate for the pharmaceutical industry. Some of the key needs include the incorporation of the vascular compartment, immune system components, and mechanical signals that regulate tumor development and function.