Journal Article

Recent Advances in Multicellular Tumor Spheroid Generation for Drug Screening

Kim, Tae-Hyung, Lee, Kwang-Ho

2021

Overview

Multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTs) have been employed in biomedical fields owing to their advantage in designing a three-dimensional (3D) solid tumor model. For controlling multicellular cancer spheroids, mimicking the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironment is important to understand cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions. In drug cytotoxicity assessments, MCTs provide better mimicry of conventional solid tumors that can precisely represent anticancer drug candidates’ effects. To generate incubate multicellular spheroids, researchers have developed several 3D multicellular spheroid culture technologies to establish a research background and a platform using tumor modelingvia advanced materials science, and biosensing techniques for drug-screening. In application, drug screening was performed in both invasive and non-invasive manners, according to their impact on the spheroids. Here, we review the trend of 3D spheroid culture technology and culture platforms, and their combination with various biosensing techniques for drug screening in the biomedical field.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,MDPI
• Subject: 3D spheroid culture technology / anticancer drug / Anticancer properties / Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology / Antitumor agents / Biocompatibility / Biomedical materials / Biosensors / Breast cancer / Cell culture / Cell Line, Tumor / culture platform / Cytotoxicity / Drug development / Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Drug screening / ECM / Extracellular matrix / Gene expression / Humans / Materials science / MCTs / Metastasis / Methods / Microenvironments / Mimicry / Multicellular tumor spheroids / Neoplasms - drug therapy / Review / Screening / Solid tumors / Spheroids / Spheroids, Cellular / Three dimensional models / Toxicity / Tumor Microenvironment / Tumorigenesis / Tumors