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

PLoS One. 2019 Jul 25;14(7):e0219834. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219834. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

The 3D multi-cellular tumoroid (MCT) model is an in vivo-like, avascular tumor model that has received much attention as a refined screening platform for drug therapies. Several types of research have been efforted to improve the physiological characteristics of the tumor microenvironment (TME) of the in vivo-like MCTs. Size-controlled MCTs have received much attention for obtaining highly reproducible results in drug screening assays and achieving a homogeneous and meaningful level of biological activities. Here, we describe an effective method for fabricating the size-controlled in vivo-like MCTs using a cell-loss-free (CLF) microwell arrays. The CLF microwell arrays was fabricated by using the simple operation of laser carving of a poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) master mold. We also demonstrated the biophysicochemical effect of tumor microenvironment (TME) resident fibroblasts through the expression of TGFβ, αSMA, Type I-, IV collagen, angiogenesis related markers on tumorigenesis, and confirmed the drug response of MCTs with anti-cancer agents. This technology for the fabrication of CLF microwell arrays could be used as an effective method to produce an in vitro tumor model for cancer research and drug discovery.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • A549 Cells
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Cell Culture Techniques / instrumentation*
  • Cell Culture Techniques / methods
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cell Size / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
  • Humans
  • Spheroids, Cellular / cytology*
  • Spheroids, Cellular / drug effects
  • Tumor Microenvironment / drug effects

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents

Grants and funding

GS Jeong received grants from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2016R1C1B2013193), the Post-Genome Technology Development Program (10067407, Development of high-throughput organoid clearing system and 3D imaging system for drug screening application) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Korea) and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2019R1A2C2005244). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.