Generation of 3D cell cultures from patients for colorectal cancer research

Abstract

Traditionally the growth of human cells for cancer research is in two-dimensions (2D). However, three-dimension (3D) culturing has been shown to better recapitulate the cellular behaviours and interactions, offering great advantages. 3D cultures retain the benefits of 2D cultures whilst mimicking the structure and interactions of tumours in vivo, possibly bridging the research gap between in vitro and in vivo studies. The 3D cultures, called organoids, can be seeded with cells from many sources, including healthy tissue or a primary tumour. However, barriers are often faced in using 3D cultures for research, such as a lack of biopsy availability which is of acceptable quality.