Abstract

Automated Sampling of Patient-Derived 3D Cell Models for Metabolite Analysis

Evan Cromwell, President & CEO, Protein Fluidics

The use of patient-derived (PD) cells provides a more physiologically relevant system for drug discovery and development.   Incorporating these into 3D cell models creates a translational tool that can recapitulate the genetic and molecular compositions of tissues such as solid cancers.  However, the complexity of performing assays with such models remains a hurdle for the wider adoption in research and drug screening.  Metabolite analysis, in particular, is challenging due to cellular sensitivity to external factors and the dynamic nature of cell metabolism.  This presentation will discuss a novel method of automated time-course sampling of supernatants from 3D cell models coupled with highly sensitive luminescence-based assays for important metabolites such as lactate and glutamate.   We show the use of this system for profiling metabolism response of PD tumoroids to different treatments and its use in disease modeling.   This system with PD tumoroids is a useful tool to improve efficiency for studies of drug sensitivity studies from individual tumor types to specific drug classes, with implication for future development in personalized medicine.