A cell-loss-free concave microwell array based size-controlled multi-cellular tumoroid generation for anti-cancer drug screening

Reconfigurable Hanging Drop Microarray Platform for On-Demand Preparation and Analysis of Spheroid Array

In response to the increasing demand for spheroid-based cancer research, the importance of developing integrated platforms that can simultaneously facilitate high-throughput spheroid production and multiplexed analysis is emphasized. In addition, the understanding of how the size and cellular composition of tumors directly influence their internal structures and functionalities underlines the critical need to produce spheroids of diverse sizes and compositions on a large scale. To address this rising demand, this work presents a configurable and linkable in vitro three-dimensional (3D) cell culture kit (CLiCK) for spheroids, termed CLiCK-Spheroid. This platform consists of three primary components: a hanging drop microarray (HDMA), a concave pillar microarray (CPMA), and gradient blocks. The HDMA alone produces a homogeneous spheroid array, while its combination with the gradient block enables one-step generation of a size-gradient spheroid array. Using the size-gradient spheroid arrays, the occurrence of necrotic cores based on spheroid size is demonstrated. Additionally, spheroids in a single batch can be conveniently compartmentalized and regrouped using a CPMA, enhancing the versatility of spheroid arrays and enabling multiplexed drug treatments. By combining the different assembly methods, this work has achieved high-throughput production of cell composition-gradient spheroid arrays, with noticeable variations in morphology and vascularization based on cell compositions.

Imaging-Based Efficacy Evaluation of Cancer Immunotherapy in Engineered Tumor Platforms and Tumor Organoids

Cancer immunotherapy is used to treat tumors by modulating the immune system. Although the anticancer efficacy of cancer immunotherapy has been evaluated prior to clinical trials, conventional in vivo animal and endpoint models inadequately replicate the intricate process of tumor elimination and reflect human-specific immune systems. Therefore, more sophisticated models that mimic the complex tumor-immune microenvironment must be employed to assess the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Additionally, using real-time imaging technology, a step-by-step evaluation can be applied, allowing for a more precise assessment of treatment efficacy. Here, an overview of the various imaging-based evaluation platforms recently developed for cancer immunotherapeutic applications is presented. Specifically, a fundamental technique is discussed for stably observing immune cell-based tumor cell killing using direct imaging, a microwell that reproduces a confined space for spatial observation, a droplet assay that facilitates cell-cell interactions, and a 3D microphysiological system that reconstructs the vascular environment. Furthermore, it is suggested that future evaluation platforms pursue more human-like immune systems.

Proposal for considerations during human iPSC-derived cardiac organoid generation for cardiotoxicity drug testing

Human iPSC-derived cardiac organoids (hiPSC-COs) for cardiotoxicity drug testing via the variety of cell lines and unestablished protocols may lead to differences in response results due to a lack of criteria for generation period and size. To ensure reliable drug testing, it is important for researchers to set optimal generation period and size of COs according to the cell line and protocol applied in their studies. Hence, we sought to propose a process to establish minimum criteria for the generation duration and size of hiPSC-COs for cardiotoxic drug testing. We generated hiPSC-COs of different sizes based on our protocol and continuously monitored organoids until they indicated a minimal beating rate change as a control that could lead to more accurate beating rate changes on drug testing. Calcium transients and physiological tests to assess the functionality of hiPSC-COs on selected generation period, which showed regular cardiac beating, and immunostaining assays to compare characteristics were performed. We explained the generation period and size that exhibited and maintained regular beating rate changes on hiPSC-COs, and lead to reliable response results to cardiotoxicity drugs. We anticipate that this study will offer valuable insights into considering the appropriate generation period and size of hiPSC-COs ensuring reliable outcomes in cardiotoxicity drug testing.

Artificial tumor matrices and bioengineered tools for tumoroid generation

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is critical for tumor growth and metastasis. The TME contains cancer-associated cells, tumor matrix, and tumor secretory factors. The fabrication of artificial tumors, so-called tumoroids, is of great significance for the understanding of tumorigenesis and clinical cancer therapy. The assembly of multiple tumor cells and matrix components through interdisciplinary techniques is necessary for the preparation of various tumoroids. This article discusses current methods for constructing tumoroids (tumor tissue slices and tumor cell co-culture) for pre-clinical use. This article focuses on the artificial matrix materials (natural and synthetic materials) and biofabrication techniques (cell assembly, bioengineered tools, bioprinting, and microfluidic devices) used in tumoroids. This article also points out the shortcomings of current tumoroids and potential solutions. This article aims to promotes the next-generation tumoroids and the potential of them in basic research and clinical application.

Differential Migration and Proliferation Potential of the Hydrogel Aided 3D Tumoroid

For substantial in vitro cancer biology research, the 3D cell culture method has now been regarded as more suitable model expected to be recapitulating maximum in vivo tumor mass relevance. Despite of available techniques to develop in vitro 3D models, a system availing a physiologically relevant in vitro 3D model of primary lung adenocarcinoma with extracellular matrix (ECM) mimicry and similar tumorigenic properties still remains a quest. Thus, in the present study, chemically modified Dextran-Chitosan (MDC) hydrogel has been developed as a 3D tumoroid aiding scaffold. The 3D A549 tumoroids aided by the MDC scaffold have physiologically relevant proliferation, migration, invasive potential, and Gefitinib [targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)] efficacy as compared to the 2D cultured cells. The surface topography and wettability of hydrogel availed in vivo micro tumor mass mimicking Lung adenocarcinoma 3D in vitro model. Thus, opening an innovative avenue for elucidating the disease mechanism and drug efficacy on relevant 3D cancer models in vitro.

Fabrication of Concave Microwells and Their Applications in Micro-Tissue Engineering: A Review

At present, there is an increasing need to mimic the in vivo micro-environment in the culture of cells and tissues in micro-tissue engineering. Concave microwells are becoming increasingly popular since they can provide a micro-environment that is closer to the in vivo environment compared to traditional microwells, which can facilitate the culture of cells and tissues. Here, we will summarize the fabrication methods of concave microwells, as well as their applications in micro-tissue engineering. The fabrication methods of concave microwells include traditional methods, such as lithography and etching, thermal reflow of photoresist, laser ablation, precision-computerized numerical control (CNC) milling, and emerging technologies, such as surface tension methods, the deformation of soft membranes, 3D printing, the molding of microbeads, air bubbles, and frozen droplets. The fabrication of concave microwells is transferring from professional microfabrication labs to common biochemical labs to facilitate their applications and provide convenience for users. Concave microwells have mostly been used in organ-on-a-chip models, including the formation and culture of 3D cell aggregates (spheroids, organoids, and embryoids). Researchers have also used microwells to study the influence of substrate topology on cellular behaviors. We will briefly review their applications in different aspects of micro-tissue engineering and discuss the further applications of concave microwells. We believe that building multiorgan-on-a-chip by 3D cell aggregates of different cell lines will be a popular application of concave microwells, while integrating physiologically relevant molecular analyses with the 3D culture platform will be another popular application in the near future. Furthermore, 3D cell aggregates from these biosystems will find more applications in drug screening and xenogeneic implantation.

Droplet contact-based spheroid transfer technique as a multi-step assay tool for spheroid arrays

Hanging drop plates and low-attachment well plates are suitable for a high throughput screening model of a spheroid, because each drop (or well) contains a single spheroid and the spheroid environment are separated from each other. However, uniform spheroid culture on these devices is difficult as the liquid around the spheroid is replaced by direct pipetting, which can cause spheroid damage or loss, and well-to-well variation. If spheroids need to be cultured for a long time or analyzed through chemical treatment of immunostaining, it becomes a more considerable problem as the number of pipetting action increases. To address these problems, we have developed a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based drop array chip (DAC) and a pillar array chip (PAC) that can apply a droplet contact-based spheroid transfer (DCST) technique to multiple reagent change or washing steps of spheroid assays. Unlike previous DCST devices, 3D-printed mold-based DCST devices showed stable spheroid manipulation during repetitive drop contact and facile transfer of spheroid arrays to the next reagent-loaded DAC while minimizing cross-contamination of the reagents. Compared to the conventional manual or machine pipetting method, the DCST method showed lower user-to-user variation and a higher spheroid retention rate in the manipulation of the spheroid array. Live/dead staining, hypoxia staining, and immunofluorescence staining of the spheroid array were performed on a breast cancer cell line, BT-474. Furthermore, four clearing methods were applied to the spheroid array as a proof of concept, and we have identified the applicability of the DCST platform as a pretreatment platform for whole spheroid analysis.

Sporadic cell death in macroscale 3D tumor grafts with high drug resistance by activating cell-ECM interactions

In the tumor microenvironment (TME), the extracellular matrix (ECM) provides a dynamic structure for cell adhesion and cancer cell motility, such as migration and invasion, as well as remodeling. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) promote cancer cell motility, which contributes to inducing drug resistance and thereby acquiring aggressive features. The drug resistance-induced 3Din vitrotumor model can be an effective model for therapeutic strategies for anticancer drugs targeting aggressive cancer cells. Here, we describe highly drug-resistant multicellular tumoroids (MCTs)-ECM tumor grafts under a macroscale dense 3Din vitromodel through a combination of numerous MCTs and a collagen matrix. MCTs-ECM tumor grafts promote the high activity of MMP2 and MMP9 compared to general MCTs and induced cancer cell motility. Then, after the administration of anticancer drugs, the tumor grafts show increased drug resistance, with both the sporadic distribution of necrotic cells and the reduction of apoptotic portions, by activating cancer cell motility. MCTs-ECM tumor graft could be useful as a macroscale tumor graft model for inducing drug resistance by activating cancer cell motility and evaluating the efficacy of anticancer drugs targeting cancer with aggressive features.

A deep and permeable nanofibrous oval-shaped microwell array for the stable formation of viable and functional spheroids

Despite the potential of a nanofibrous (NF) microwell array as a permeable microwell array to improve the viability and functions of spheroids, thanks to the superior permeability to both gases and solutes, there have still been difficulties regarding the stable formation of spheroids in the NF microwell array due to the low aspect ratio (AR) and the large interspacing between microwells. This study proposes a nanofibrous oval-shaped microwell array, named the NOVA microwell array, with both a high AR and a high well density, enabling us to not only collect cells in the microwell with a high cell seeding efficiency, but also to generate multiple viable and functional spheroids in a uniform and stable manner. To realize a deep NOVA microwell array with a high aspect ratio (AR = 0.9) and a high well density (494 wells cm^-2), we developed a matched-mold thermoforming process for the fabrication of both size- and AR-controllable NOVA microwell arrays with various interspacing between microwells while maintaining the porous nature of the NF membrane. The human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell spheroids cultured on the deep NOVA microwell array not only had uniform size and shape, with a spheroid circularity of 0.80 ± 0.03 at a cell seeding efficiency of 94.29 ± 9.55%, but also exhibited enhanced viability with a small fraction of dead cells and promoted functionality with increased albumin secretion, compared with the conventional impermeable microwell array. The superior characteristics of the deep NOVA microwell array, i.e. a high AR, a high well density, and a high permeability, pave the way to the production of various viable and functional spheroids and even organoids in a scalable manner.

A Highly Reproducible Micro U-Well Array Plate Facilitating High-Throughput Tumor Spheroid Culture and Drug Assessment

3D multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTSs) have recently emerged as a landmark for cancer research due to their inherent traits that are physiologically relevant to primary tumor microenvironments. A facile approach-laser-ablated micro U-wells-has been widely adopted in the past decade. However, the differentiation of microwell uniformities and the construction of arrays have all remained elusive. Herein, an improved laser-ablated microwell array technique is proposed that can not only achieve arrayed MCTSs with identical sizes but can also perform high-throughput drug assessments in situ. Three critical laser ablation parameters, including frequency, duty cycle, and pulse number, are investigated to generate microwells flexibly with a range from 170 to 400 μm. The choice of microwells is optimally arranged into an array via precise control of horizontal spacing (d x) and vertical spacing (d y) amenable of cell-loss-free culture during cell seeding. Harvested T24, A549 and Huh-7 MCTSs from the microwell array correspond to approximately 75 to 140 μm in diameter. Anticancer drug screening of cisplatin validated IC50 values in 2D and MCTS conditions are 3.5 versus 9.1 μM (T24), 11.8 versus 277.7 μM (A549) and 33.5 versus 52.8 μM (Huh-7), and the permeability is measured to range from 0.042 to 0.58 μm min-1.

Engineered Microsystems for Spheroid and Organoid Studies

3D in vitro model systems such as spheroids and organoids provide an opportunity to extend the physiological understanding using recapitulated tissues that mimic physiological characteristics of in vivo microenvironments. Unlike 2D systems, 3D in vitro systems can bridge the gap between inadequate 2D cultures and the in vivo environments, providing novel insights on complex physiological mechanisms at various scales of organization, ranging from the cellular, tissue-, to organ-levels. To satisfy the ever-increasing need for highly complex and sophisticated systems, many 3D in vitro models with advanced microengineering techniques have been developed to answer diverse physiological questions. This review summarizes recent advances in engineered microsystems for the development of 3D in vitro model systems. The relationship between the underlying physics behind the microengineering techniques, and their ability to recapitulate distinct 3D cellular structures and functions of diverse types of tissues and organs are highlighted and discussed in detail. A number of 3D in vitro models and their engineering principles are also introduced. Finally, current limitations are summarized, and perspectives for future directions in guiding the development of 3D in vitro model systems using microengineering techniques are provided.

A combined 3D printing/CNC micro-milling method to fabricate a large-scale microfluidic device with the small size 3D architectures: an application for tumor spheroid production

The fabrication of a large-scale microfluidic mold with 3D microstructures for manufacturing of the conical microwell chip using a combined projection micro-stereolithography (PµSL) 3D printing/CNC micro-milling method for tumor spheroid formation is presented. The PµSL technique is known as the most promising method of manufacturing microfluidic chips due to the possibility of creating complex three-dimensional microstructures with high resolution in the range of several micrometers. The purpose of applying the proposed method is to investigate the influence of microwell depths on the formation of tumor spheroids. In the conventional methods, the construction of three-dimensional microstructures and multi-height chips is difficult, time-consuming, and is performed using a multi-step lithography process. Microwell depth is an essential parameter for microwell design since it directly affects the shear stress of the fluid flow and the diffusion of nutrients, respiratory gases, and growth factors. In this study, a chip was made with microwells of different depth varying from 100 to 500 µm. The mold of the microwell section is printed by the lab-made PµSL printer with 6 and 1 µm lateral and vertical resolutions. Other parts of the mold, such as the main chamber and micro-channels, were manufactured using the CNC micro-milling method. Finally, different parts of the master mold were assembled and used for PDMS casting. The proposed technique drastically simplifies the fabrication and rapid prototyping of large-scale microfluidic devices with high-resolution microstructures by combining 3D printing with the CNC micro-milling method.

A Facile Approach for Rapid Prototyping of Microneedle Molds, Microwells and Micro-Through-Holes in Various Substrate Materials Using CO2 Laser Drilling

CO₂ laser manufacturing has served as an enabling and reliable tool for rapid and cost-effective microfabrication over the past few decades. While a wide range of industrial and biological applications have been studied, the choice of materials fabricated across various laser parameters and systems is often confounded by their complex combinations. We herein presented a unified procedure performed using percussion CO₂ laser drilling with a range of laser parameters, substrate materials and various generated microstructures, enabling a variety of downstream tissue/cellular-based applications. Emphasis is placed on delineating the laser drilling effect on different biocompatible materials and proof-of-concept utilities. First, a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microneedle (MN) array mold is fabricated to generate dissolvable polyvinylpyrrolidone/polyvinyl alcohol (PVP/PVA) MNs for transdermal drug delivery. Second, polystyrene (PS) microwells are optimized in a compact array for the formation of size-controlled multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTSs). Third, coverglass is perforated to form a microaperture that can be used to trap/position cells/spheroids. Fourth, the creation of through-holes in PS is validated as an accessible method to create channels that facilitate medium exchange in hanging drop arrays and as a conducive tool for the growth and drug screenings of MCTSs.

Microfluidic systems for hydrodynamic trapping of cells and clusters

Microfluidic devices have been widely applied to trapping and isolation of cells and clusters for controllable intercellular environments and high-throughput analysis, triggering numerous advances in disease diagnosis and single-cell analysis. Passive hydrodynamic cell trapping is one of the simple and effective methods that has been gaining attention in recent years. Our aim here is to review the existing passive microfluidic trapping approaches, including microposts, microfiltration, microwells, and trapping chambers, with emphasis on design principles and performance. We summarize the remarkable advances that hydrodynamic trapping methods offer, as well as the existing challenges and prospects for development. Finally, we hope that an improved understanding of hydrodynamic trapping approaches can lead to sophisticated and useful platforms to advance medical and biological research.

Spherical microwell arrays for studying single cells and microtissues in 3D confinement

Microwell arrays have emerged as three-dimensional substrates for cell culture due to their simplicity of fabrication and promise for high-throughput applications such as 3D cell-based assays for drug screening. To date, most microwells have had cylindrical geometries. Motivated by our previous findings that cells display 3D physiological characteristics when grown in the spherical micropores of monodisperse foam scaffolds (Lee et al 2013 Integr. Biol. 5 1447-55 and Lin et al 2011 Soft Matter 7 10010-6), here we engineered novel microwells shaped as spherical caps with obtuse polar angles, yielding narrow apertures. When used as bare substrates, these microwells were suitable for culturing cell spheroids; the narrow apertures sterically hindered unattached cultured cells from rolling out of microwells under agitation. When only the walls of the microwell were conjugated with extracellular matrix proteins, cells remained confined in the microwells. Epithelial cells proliferated and burst out of the aperture, and cell polarity was oriented based on the distribution of extracellular matrix proteins in the microwells. Surprisingly, single fibroblast cells in spherical wells of various diameters (40-100 μm) underwent cell-cycle arrest, while cells in circular cylindrical microwells continued to proliferate. Spatial confinement was not sufficient to cause cell-cycle arrest; however, confinement in a constant negative-curvature microenvironment led to cell-cycle arrest. Overall, these investigations demonstrate that this spherical microwell substrate constitutes a novel basic research tool for elucidating how cells respond to dimensionality and microenvironment with radii of curvature at the cellular length scale.