Abstract

Automated Injection of Cancer Cells in 3D ECM Scaffolds and Zebrafish Embryos for (Personalized) Compound Screening

Jan de Sonneville, CEO, Life Science Methods B.V.

When cell-polymer suspensions are microinjected as droplets into collagen gels, cell spheroid (CS) formation occurs within hours for a broad range of (primary) cell types. We have automated this method to produce CS arrays in fixed patterns with defined x-y-z spatial coordinates in multiwell plates and applied automated imaging and image analysis algorithms. Automated microinjection of cancer cells in zebrafish embryos results in xenograft models wherein the micro-metastasis at 5dpi can be correlated to the distinct migratory patterns found in CS. RNAi screening is used to discover targets affecting cell migration and survival. In zebrafish xenografts, interactions with cancer cells and treatment can be studied using microscopy and next-gen sequencing (NGS). We improved browsing and visualization of NGS data is in GeneTiles, which offers an interactive overview of regulatory changes without the need for zooming and scrolling. An example of a new kinase inhibitor demonstrates the translational power of 3D cells spheroids and zebrafish xenografts in mice and human tissue.