Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2025
10:38
Establishing 3-Dimensional Spheroids from Patient-Derived Tumor Samples and Evaluating their Sensitivity to Drugs
Published on: December 16, 2022
2.2K
An Optimized Method to Culture Human Primary Lung Tumor Cell Spheroids
Amanda Mueggler1, Eléa Pilotto1, Nadja Perriraz-Mayer1
1Division of Thoracic and Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.
Cancers
|December 9, 2023
Summary
This study introduces patient-derived spheroids (PDS) to test lung cancer drug responses. These 3D models improve personalized treatment efficacy prediction for lung cancer patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biotechnology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer mortality globally, with limited personalized treatment efficacy prediction.
- Current molecular profiling methods do not fully predict individual patient responses to therapies.
- There is a critical need for functional in vitro assays to guide personalized lung cancer treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate patient-derived spheroids (PDS) as a functional assay for assessing personalized drug treatment response in lung cancer.
- To establish a biomimetic in vitro model using patient lung tissues for drug sensitivity testing.
- To evaluate the potential of PDS in predicting treatment efficacy and enhancing patient outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Patient-derived spheroids (PDS) were generated from surgically resected lung tumor and adjacent normal tissues using a two-step culture method.
- Cellular characterization of PDS involved flow cytometry, immune staining, proliferation, and apoptosis assays.
- Differential gene expression was analyzed using RT-qPCR, and drug sensitivity was assessed via metabolic assays with chemotherapeutic combinations.
Main Results:
- PDS models successfully recapitulated the cellular composition (epithelial cells, fibroblasts, immune cells) of patient lung tissues.
- Established PDS models from both tumor and normal lung cells demonstrated successful expansion.
- Proof-of-concept drug sensitivity assays using lung adenoid cystic carcinoma PDS showed dose-dependent responses to cisplatin/etoposide and cisplatin/paclitaxel combinations.
Conclusions:
- Patient-derived spheroids (PDS) provide a promising functional platform for personalized drug screening in lung cancer.
- The developed spheroid model effectively mimics patient lung tissue, enabling in vitro assessment of drug treatment response.
- This approach holds significant potential for improving treatment efficacy and patient outcomes in lung cancer care.
