Original nodule model in vitro

For anti-cancer drug validation studies in vitro and in vivo, several models have been developed and used. Here, Cellvax has successfully developed a new model which is between in vitro and in vivo model, called “the Nodule model in three dimensions”. We believe that this model could be an ideal tool in anti-cancer drug discovery studies.

A three-dimensional cell co-culture method is presented where cancer cells can be maintained alone or combined with other cell types in long-term culture in order to reconstitute some of the interactions between the different cell elements in tumors in vivo. The cells are accumulated by centrifugation to form “nodules” which are cultivated on a semi-solid agar medium at medium / air interface. The nodules are not mere cell aggregates, they are able to develop morphological and functional differentiation often lost in mono-layer cell culture conditions. Also, a different sensitivity to chemical and physical anti-tumoral treatments has been demonstrated. Studies on short-term and long-term effects of anti-cancer treatments are possible.