Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 17, 2025
Assessing Cell Viability and Death in 3D Spheroid Cultures of Cancer Cells
Published on: June 16, 2019
3D profilometry and cell viability studies for drug response screening.
M Carmen Morán1, Francesca Cirisano2, Michele Ferrari3
1Departament de Bioquímica i Fisiologia, Secció de Fisiologia - Facultat de Farmàcia i Ciències de l'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Avda. Joan XXIII, 27-31, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia - IN(2)UB, Universitat de Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal, 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
Combining noninvasive surface analysis with biochemical methods reveals cell volume changes during proliferation and death. This approach enhances the assessment of drug effects on tumoral versus non-tumoral cells.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- In vitro cell viability assays are crucial for drug and chemical testing but can mask individual cell properties due to high cell numbers.
- Cellular processes like proliferation and death involve significant volume and surface changes.
- Existing methods often lack the resolution or non-destructive capabilities to capture these dynamic cellular alterations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a combined approach using noninvasive morphological surface analysis and biochemical methods.
- To correlate cell volume variations with cellular viability changes induced by specific treatments.
- To improve the assessment of drug-induced effects on tumoral versus non-tumoral cells.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 3D optical scanning profilometry for noninvasive, high-resolution surface and volume analysis at the nano-microscale.
- Coupled morphological analysis with established biochemical assays for cell viability and response.
- Administered proliferative and cytotoxic substances to tumoral and non-tumoral cell models.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a direct relationship between cell volume changes and cellular viability.
- Showcased the ability of the combined technique to noninvasively detect and quantify cell volume alterations.
- Observed improved efficiency in assessing drug-induced changes in tumoral cells compared to non-tumoral cells.
Conclusions:
- The integration of noninvasive morphological analysis with biochemical methods offers a powerful tool for studying cell viability and drug response.
- This approach provides enhanced diagnostic features by capturing single-cell morphological dynamics.
- The method shows particular promise for evaluating the efficacy of chemotherapeutics and other agents on cancer cells.
