Biomedical research is shifting from traditional 2D monolayer cell cultures to advanced 3D cell culture technologies, which more accurately replicate biological systems. This article explores the benefits of 3D cell cultures and their potential future in biomedical research.
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Introduction
3D cell cultures address issues with traditional 2D cell cultures, such as a lack of predictivity. While they are more expensive and complicated than 2D cultures and have problems with throughput, they provide several key benefits for scientists. They better simulate the real conditions in a living organism and provide more relevant cell models.
They also help reduce the use of animal models, a key ethical concern with biomedical research. Microfluidics are used to link complex systems, allowing for better modeling of cell-cell interaction. These are just a few benefits of 3D cell cultures for biomedical researchers and drug companies.1,2
Market-Driven Applications
3D cultures of cells, tissues, and even organs are emerging as a key technology in biomedical research and the pharma industry.
They are finding widespread market-driven applications in areas such as drug discovery and testing, personalized medicine, and cancer research.
Drug Discovery and Testing
3D cell culture models are more predictive than traditional 2D monolayer cultures, meaning that using them saves costs and time in R&D. This is beneficial as drug development is typically a high-cost environment.
Applications for this technology in drug discovery and testing include lead optimization, target validation, candidate selection, and assay development. They are especially beneficial for high-throughput screening strategies, helping researchers make more informed decisions than would otherwise be possible using monolayer cultures.3
Personalized Medicine
The emerging field of personalized medicine better takes into account the diversity of patients. Not all drugs may function the same in different patients, so a more personalized approach is sometimes needed.
Pairing 3D cell cultures with xenografts or organoids derived from patients themselves provides a more clinically relevant model, improving personalized medicine outcomes for individuals.4
What Can We Learn from 3D Cell Cultures for Research and Development and Personalized Medicine?
Cancer Research
Accurately replicating the 3D architecture and complexity of in vivo tumors and interactions with healthy cells is challenging for 2D cell cultures. 3D cell cultures are grown in environments that more accurately mimic the conditions of cancer and have revolutionized research in this field.5
Key Commercial Advancements
In recent years, there have been some key technological advancements in the field of 3D cell cultures, helping the technology to mature and hastening its widespread adoption in biomedical research.
Several academic institutions and companies have developed technologies and processes that are revolutionizing this emerging research field.
3D Bioprinting
Conventional tissue engineering methods are costly, time-consuming, and can produce waste. The controlled production of 3D cell cultures and tissues is highly complex, requiring robust technological solutions that can produce stable systems suitable for research purposes. Technologies that enable custom tissue models are crucial for tissue engineering.
3D bioprinting, an offshoot of additive manufacturing, has emerged as a key technology in this emerging biomedical field. It uses “bioink,” which consists of living cells, active biomolecules, or biomaterials deposited layer-by-layer in a highly controlled process to produce 3D structures that mimic biological systems.6
Bioprinting is a transformative technology, and the global market was an estimated $2.1 billion in 2021. Companies leading the way in this field include Cellink, Organovo, and Aspect Biosystems.
Organoids and “Organ-on-a-Chip”
3D organoids are an exciting area of biomedical research made possible by 3D cell culture techniques. While not a perfect technology, these biological models are capable of self-organization and renewal.
Moreover, the ability to replicate organ functionality gives them a huge benefit over 2D cell cultures for biomedical research.2
A lot of research has been focused on organoids in recent years, with initiatives such as the Human Cancer Models Initiative dedicating large-scale resources to developing the technology. This organization is seeking to develop tumor organoids for cancer research.2
Organ-on-a-chip technology is also an emerging field in biomedical research made possible using 3D cell cultures. Tissues and 3D cell cultures, either natural or engineered, are grown inside microfluidic cells, mimicking human physiology. Netri, Bi/ond, Tissue Dynamics, and BEONchip are some companies providing innovative organ-on-a-chip technologies for biomedical research.
Global Market Overview: Organ-on-a-Chip
AI Integration
AI integration is another emerging trend in 3D cell culture and tissue engineering. Deep learning and machine learning models have demonstrated their potential in recent research, and AI-integrated organoid systems have advanced drug development and disease modeling.
Machine learning and deep learning algorithms also boost predictive capabilities and improve the analysis of complex data from 3D models. Some organ-on-a-chip companies are integrating AI into their technologies, and some interesting research has been published in recent years highlighting the potential of this transformative and disruptive technology.7
Future Potential and Industry Trends
3D cell cultures, organoids, and organ-on-a-chip technologies have vast potential in biomedical research and the pharma industry.
Critical obstacles to widespread adoption include correlation with 2D models, reproducibility issues, automation, and issues with analytical methods such as proteomics and assay validation.
Some future trends and challenges include AI integration, improving scalability for larger, cost-effective studies, and partnership opportunities between biotech and pharma stakeholders. Greater cooperation between academia and industry will help accelerate commercialization.
Predicted market growth for technologies based on 3D cell cultures is strong: the organ-on-a-chip industry alone will, according to some estimates, be worth $3.5 billion by 2033. In 2023, it was worth just over $100 million.
This represents a noteworthy CAGR of around 43%, demonstrating the strong scientific and commercial interest in 3D cell cultures and associated technologies.
In Summary
3D cell cultures provide crucial advantages over 2D monolayer cell cultures for biomedical research and the pharma sector. They are fast becoming key technologies in emerging medical fields such as personalized medicine and organoids.
The strong growth in the market for technologies based on 3D cell cultures is a testament to the importance scientists and corporations place on this technology.
In short, 3D cell cultures, organoids, and organ-on-a-chip technologies are playing key roles in advancing biotech and pharma. They help researchers better understand dynamic living systems and provide more in-depth knowledge of the effect of drugs and therapies on patients, which can only improve positive patient outcomes in the future.
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References
- Mimetas (2024) 2D Versus 3D Cell Cultures: Advantages and Disadvantages [online] mimetas.com. Available at: https://www.mimetas.com/en/blogs/315/2d-versus-3d-cell-cultures-advantages-and-disadvantages.html (Accessed on 15 November 2024)
- Sartorius (2024) Entering the third dimension of cell culture [online] nature.com. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-019-00167-8 (Accessed on 15 November 2024)
- Lansdowne, E (2018) Benefits of Using 3D Cell Models in Drug Discovery [online] technologynetworks.com. Available at: https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/blog/benefits-of-using-3d-cell-models-in-drug-discovery-30923 (Accessed on 15 November 2024)
- Li Shan Fong, E et al. (2017) 3D Culture as a Clinically Relevant Model for Personalized Medicine SLAS Technology 22:3 pp. 245-253 [online] ScienceDirect. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S247263032201319X (Accessed on 15 November 2024)
- Abuwatfa, W.H et al. (2024) Scaffold-based 3D cell culture models in cancer research J Biomed Sci. 14;31:7 [online] PubMed Central. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10789053 (Accessed on 15 November 2024)
- Dey, M & Ozbolat, I.T (2020) 3D bioprinting of cells, tissues, and organs Nature Scientific Reports 10, 14023 [online] nature.com. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-70086-y (Accessed on 15 November 2024)
- Shi, H et al. (2024) Organoid intelligence: Integration of organoid technology and artificial intelligence in the new era of in vitro models Medicine in Novel Technologies and Devices 21, 100276 [online] ScienceDirect. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590093523000711 (Accessed on 15 November 2024)
Further Reading