Ex vivo cultures of glioblastoma in three-dimensional hydrogel maintain the original tumor growth behavior and are suitable for preclinical drug and radiation sensitivity screening

Exp Cell Res. 2014 Feb 15;321(2):99-108. doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2013.12.010. Epub 2013 Dec 16.

Abstract

Identification of new drugs and predicting drug response are major challenges in oncology, especially for brain tumors, because total surgical resection is difficult and radiation therapy or chemotherapy is often ineffective. With the aim of developing a culture system close to in vivo conditions for testing new drugs, we characterized an ex vivo three-dimensional culture system based on a hyaluronic acid-rich hydrogel and compared it with classical two-dimensional culture conditions. U87-MG glioblastoma cells and seven primary cell cultures of human glioblastomas were subjected to radiation therapy and chemotherapy drugs. It appears that 3D hydrogel preserves the original cancer growth behavior and enables assessment of the sensitivity of malignant gliomas to radiation and drugs with regard to inter-tumoral heterogeneity of therapeutic response. It could be used for preclinical assessment of new therapies.

Keywords: 3D environment; Glioblastoma; Preclinical tool; Sensitivity screening.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Proliferation*
  • Cell Shape
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / methods*
  • Glioblastoma / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / chemistry*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Nude
  • Primary Cell Culture / methods*
  • Radiation Tolerance*
  • Tissue Scaffolds* / chemistry
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays / methods

Substances

  • Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate