3D Bioprinted lung cancer models for drug screening

National Center For Advancing Translational Sciences

Investigators

Abstract

We have established protocols for the bioprinting of a lung vascularized basal tissue using primary lung endothelial cells, pericytes and fibroblasts. IHC and fluorescence microcopy was used to establish vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. We also developed protocols for the labeling of cancer cells with lentivirus transduced florescence proteins and monitor tumor formation in the tissue for a set of bladder cancer cells with different metastatic origin. We are also establishing a model of the lung pleural by layering primary mesothelial cells on top of the vascularized lung base tissue to create model of mesothelioma in a pleura tissue. Finally, we have also established protocols to layer and differentiate small airway epithelial cells (SAEC) at the air-liquid interface (ALI) and have added fluorescently labeled NSCLC tumor cells and demonstrated formation of tumors on the lung epithelial ALI tissue. Currently, we are exploring the growth of NSCLC cancer cells in the the whole vascularized lung tissue with a differentiated SAEC layer at the ALI. Once this work is completed, we will implement the HTS of the NCATS oncology collection looking for compounds that prevent NSCLC tumor growth in a lung tissue model.