Better than animal models
In the field of cancer research, the idea is gaining popularity that scientists can stop the growth of cancer cells by changing the environment inside the body in which cancer cells divide. To test this theory, it is necessary to conduct hundreds of experiments on animals.
Researchers at the Michigan Institute of Technology set out to replace animal tests with tests on artificial scaffolds (frameworks) – porous three-dimensional media for growing cells.
When cells grow, they, like the foundation for a house, need a framework – extracellular matrix (extracellular matrix, ECM). To study the process of cell growth on ECM, researchers need an artificial matrix.
Synthetic ECM is created by electrospinning – forming a framework of polymers (polycaprolactone, polyvinylidene fluoride and polyaniline), and, as scientists have shown in this study, they are more preferable for research than using cells of different animal species.
Rat cardiomyocytes cultured on a synthetic polymer scaffold demonstrated cell growth, proliferation and proliferation over the entire area of the scaffold without any external chemical or physical stimuli.
Much attention was paid to the standardization of the process and the use of synthetic materials so that the chemical composition of the frame could be preserved, but the physical structure of the fibers produced could be changed. The fact is that changing the type of polymer or adding solvents leads to the appearance of a large number of factors that can affect the growth of cells on the scaffolds. Therefore, Smita Rao and her colleagues compared the behavior of individual cell lines on different types of scaffolds, changing only one physical factor – the voltage at which the polymer rotates. They created frames of different shapes – cellular, mesh or even.
Synthetic cellular polycaprolactone-polyvinylidene fluoride-polyaniline scaffold.
To test the effectiveness of synthetic scaffolds, the group used four different cell lines: normal breast tissue (184B5) as a control, breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), precancerous cell line (MCF10AneoT) and triple negative metastatic breast adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-231).
With the help of the information obtained, it will be possible to study how cancer cells metastasize and why non-metastatic cells become metastatic, as well as to trace the pathways of signaling that turn non-malignant cells into malignant ones.
In addition, the work provides the basis for another area of research: in which cellular environment do malignant cancer cells grow best? For example, triple negative breast cancer cells prefer cellular scaffolds, whereas adenocarcinoma cells grow better in mesh, and precancerous cells – in smooth scaffolds.
Polymer frames do not require special processing or specific temperature storage conditions. In the future, scientists will be able to create scaffolds of the required shape, structure and rigidity so that the environment of the tumor in the human body becomes as unsuitable as possible for the growth of cancer cells.
Article by S.N.Hanumantharao et al. Engineered three-dimensional scaffolds modulating the fate of breast cancer cells using stiffness and morphology related cell adhesion is published in the IEEE Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology.
Aminat Adzhieva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of Michigan Tech: Replacing Animal Testing with Synthetic Cell Scaffolds.