title: 3D in vitro tissue models and their potential for drug screening.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The development of one standard, simplified in vitro three-dimensional tissue model suitable to biological and pathological investigation and drug-discovery may not yet be feasible, but standardized models for individual tissues or organs are a possibility. Tissue bioengineering, while concerned with finding methods of restoring functionality in disease, is developing technology that can be miniaturized for high throughput screening (HTS) of putative drugs. Through collaboration between biologists, physicists and engineers, cell-based assays are expanding into the realm of tissue analysis. Accordingly, three-dimensional (3D) micro-organoid systems will play an increasing role in drug testing and therapeutics over the next decade. Nevertheless, important hurdles remain before these models are fully developed for HTS.
  
  
  METHODS
  We highlight advances in the field of tissue bioengineering aimed at enhancing the success of drug candidates through pre-clinical optimization. We discuss models that are most amenable to high throughput screening with emphasis on detection platforms and data modeling.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Modeling 3D tissues to mimic in-vivo architecture remains a major challenge. As technology advances to provide novel methods of HTS analysis, so do potential pitfalls associated with such models and methods. We remain hopeful that integration of biofabrication with HTS will significantly reduce attrition rates in drug development.
authors.affiliation: 1114 Riverview Terrace, St. Michaels, MD 21663 , USA.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kimlin
authors.forename: Jareer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kassis
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Virador
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000379:methods*; D057166:High-Throughput Screening Assays; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques; D023822:Tissue Engineering