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Drug screening in 3D in vitro tumor models: overcoming current pitfalls of efficacy read‐outs
Author(s) -
Santo Vítor E.,
Rebelo Sofia P.,
Estrada Marta F.,
Alves Paula M.,
Boghaert Erwin,
Brito Catarina
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.144
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1860-7314
pISSN - 1860-6768
DOI - 10.1002/biot.201600505
Subject(s) - in vitro , current (fluid) , drug , computational biology , medicine , pharmacology , chemistry , biology , biochemistry , physics , thermodynamics
There is cumulating evidence that in vitro 3D tumor models with increased physiological relevance can improve the predictive value of pre‐clinical research and ultimately contribute to achieve decisions earlier during the development of cancer‐targeted therapies. Due to the role of tumor microenvironment in the response of tumor cells to therapeutics, the incorporation of different elements of the tumor niche on cell model design is expected to contribute to the establishment of more predictive in vitro tumor models. This review is focused on the several challenges and adjustments that the field of oncology research is facing to translate these advanced tumor cells models to drug discovery, taking advantage of the progress on culture technologies, imaging platforms, high throughput and automated systems. The choice of 3D cell model, the experimental design, choice of read‐outs and interpretation of data obtained from 3D cell models are critical aspects when considering their implementation in drug discovery. In this review, we foresee some of these aspects and depict the potential directions of pre‐clinical oncology drug discovery towards improved prediction of drug efficacy.