Research Centre, I am completing a project that seeks to develop and characterize a 3.D. spheroid model that can be used to screen therapies for treatment of T.N.B.C. Our goal is to learn more about the way that T.N.B.C. cells interact with each other, other cells, and drug molecules.
Traditionally, cancer therapies have been studied in two ways: in 2-D. monolayer cell culture and with the use of animal models. There are issues with both of these approaches. First, 2-D. culture fails to accurately represent the cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, as well as the nutrient and oxygen gradients, that are present in a 3-D. tumor. These differences affect cell signaling, structure, and adhesion (attraction to each other). For example, the T.N.B.C cell line that I work with (MDA-MB-231) develops a hypoxic (oxygen deficient) and necrotic (dead cells) core when cultured in 3-D. As a result, the cells will behave differently in 2-D. vs. 3-D. when exposed to the same stimuli. On the other hand, animal models are not ideal when considering factors such as ethics, cost, and time. Importantly, animal models also fail to accurately represent human physiology. For these reasons, researchers have started to shift towards developing 3-D. in vitro (outside of life) cancer models.
There are several different 3-D. cancer models in development, each suited for different purposes. Three examples are spheroids, scaffold systems, and organoids. Spheroids are created when cells cluster together due to strong cell-cell adhesion and weak cell adhesion to the culture vessel (flask, plate, or dish).
