title: Cancer cell spheroids for screening of chemotherapeutics and drug-delivery systems.
abstract: Over the last few decades, the most popular platform to perform high-throughput screening for viable anti-neoplastic compounds has been monolayer cell culture. However, cells in monolayer culture lose many of their in vivo characteristics. As a result, this platform provides a limited predictive value in determining the clinical outcome of the compounds of interest. Using a technique known as 3D spheroid culture, may be the answer to this conundrum. Spheroids have been shown to mimic the tissue-like properties of tumors necessary for the proper evaluation of compounds. In this review, production of cancer cell spheroids, utilization of these spheroids in understanding various therapeutic mechanisms and the potential for their use in high-throughput screening of drugs and drug-delivery systems are discussed in detail.
authors.affiliation: Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology & Nanomedicine, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, 140 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Niravkumar R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Bhawani
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aryasomayajula
authors.forename: Abraham H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Abouzeid
authors.forename: Vladimir P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Torchilin
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D057166:High-Throughput Screening Assays / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents