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Superhydrophobic Array Devices for the Enhanced Formation of 3D Cancer Models.
Maria Lopez-Cavestany1, Olivia A Wright1, Noah T Reckhorn1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235, United States.
ACS Nano
|August 16, 2024
Summary
Engineered a superhydrophobic array device (SHArD) to culture circulating tumor cell (CTC) clusters. This new method creates more consistent, physiologically relevant 3D cancer models, aiding research into cancer metastasis.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cancer Biology
- Cellular Mechanics
Background:
- Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in clusters exhibit increased resistance to treatment and shear stress.
- The biology and formation of CTC clusters remain poorly understood, hindering metastatic cascade research.
- Existing methods for culturing cell aggregates lack consistency and physiological relevance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a tunable superhydrophobic array device (SHArD) for culturing clinically relevant models of CTC clusters.
- To investigate the biological characteristics and survival mechanisms of CTC clusters.
- To develop a reproducible method for generating three-dimensional (3D) cancer models.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication and application of a tunable superhydrophobic array device (SHArD) for cell culture.
- Culture of immortalized cancer cell lines into aggregates of various sizes using SHArD-C.
- Comparative analysis of SHArD-S with the AggreWell 800 method for spheroid formation.
- Assessment of E-cadherin expression and survival under high fluid shear stress.
Main Results:
- SHArD-C cultured cancer cell aggregates showed higher E-cadherin expression and significantly greater survival under shear stress compared to single cells and control clusters.
- SHArD-S demonstrated more consistent spheroid formation with reproducible sizes across multiple cancer cell lines compared to AggreWell 800.
- The engineered device successfully grew physiologically relevant 3D cancer models containing tens to thousands of cells.
Conclusions:
- The SHArD device provides a robust platform for generating reproducible and physiologically relevant 3D cancer models, including CTC clusters.
- The enhanced survival of clustered CTCs, attributed to higher E-cadherin expression and shear stress resistance, offers insights into metastatic advantages.
- This engineered device facilitates the study of cancer cell aggregation and its role in metastasis and treatment resistance.
