Tissue-Engineered 3D In Vitro Disease Models for High-Throughput Drug Screening.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Drug Discovery
• Cell Biology

Background:

• High-throughput screening (HTS) relies on in vitro models to test drug efficacy.
• Current 2D models lack the complex 3D microenvironment and extracellular matrix crucial for accurate drug response.
• This limitation hinders the predictive power of 2D models in drug screening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current state of HTS using 2D models.
• To highlight the advantages of 3D tissue-engineered models for HTS.
• To discuss the development and application of HTS-compatible 3D models for complex diseases.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on HTS assays and in vitro models.
• Analysis of studies employing 3D cell-laden hydrogels, scaffolds, cell sheets, spheroids, microfluidic, and organ-on-a-chip systems.
• Focus on HTS compatibility in fabrication and evaluation.

Main Results:

• 2D models are widely used but fail to replicate the in vivo 3D microenvironment.
• Tissue-engineered 3D models incorporating extracellular matrix components offer superior physiological relevance.
• Recent advancements show HTS-compatible 3D models are feasible for diseases like cancer and cardiovascular conditions.

Conclusions:

• 3D models are poised to replace 2D models in HTS due to their enhanced in vivo mimicry.
• Developing HTS-compatible 3D models is essential for accurate drug screening.
• These advanced models hold promise for accelerating drug discovery for major diseases.