Optical imaging of combined fluorescent cellular spheroids and study of their growth under the influence of chemotherapy

The development of new drugs for cancer treatment requires a deeper understanding of carcinogenesis mechanisms and their more accurate reproduction. The creation of 3D cell models was an important step in the study of tumor stroma and the reconstruction of a relevant cancer model. Using 3D-printing and micromolding, we obtained polymer molds for the rapid formation of cellular spheroids, their long-term incubation and microscopy. The molds were used to create spheroids from cancer, stromal cells, and their combinations. In order to distinguish tumor and stromal cells during co-cultivation, they were transduced with genes of fluorescent proteins in different regions of the visible spectrum. Fluorescence microscopy allowed not only to observe the dynamics of spheroid growth, but also to evaluate separately the sensitivity of cancer and stromal cells to cytostatic therapy. The developed form simplifies the reconstruction of a relevant 3D cancer model and testing of cytotoxic drugs. The results obtained demonstrate the importance of optical methods in studying the antitumor efficiency of drugs.