A Valuable Tool for Drug Discovery: 3D Cell Assays

Discover the potential of 3D assay technology for drug screening, bridging the gap between in vitro and in vivo assays. Explore how factors like hypoxia, cell heterogeneity, and extracellular matrix influence cell behaviour, leading to more biologically relevant data. Adopting 3D assays may enhance drug candidate profiling, reducing the risk of failure and saving time…

A Valuable Tool for Drug Discovery: 3D Cell Assays

Abstract

Traditional cell assays in a 2D monolayer have proven invaluable for drug screening, but cannot replicate the 3D tumour microenvironment.

Factors such as hypoxia, heterogeneous cell populations, soluble factor gradients, extracellular matrix, and waste and nutrient diffusion can change cell behaviour and response to compound treatment1. As a result, cells grown in 2D are not as physiologically relevant, and important discoveries may be either misinterpreted or missed completely. Profiling drug candidates in 3D may yield more biologically relevant data and may allow for better discrimination between different drug candidates. This could reduce the likelihood of failure at later stages of development, saving time and money.

A 3D assay could provide a more enhanced model for drug profiling and would provide a bridge between in vitro and in vivo assays typically performed in drug discovery screening cascades.

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