3d cell culture methods

The medical industry has made incredible strides over the past few decades. The past 100 years alone have seen the advent of the CAT scan, numerous cures to debilitating illnesses and breakthroughs in cancer research. Now? Tumor growth data and 3D modeling are combining to bring scientists and patients alike more advanced methods of addressing, analyzing and eventually curing various forms of cancer. Brain organoids, cerebral organoids and injectable hydrogel are just a few of the tools being used to help people live healthier, happier and longer lives through the support medical science. Let’s take a look.

Brain Tumors

A tumor is a growth that impedes the body’s ability to function and develop naturally. Although it can grow nearly anywhere, brain tumors have been found to be the leading cause of solid tumor death in children under the age of 20 years old. This has now surpassed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, making it more vital than ever to support research through the use of brain organoids. Although the number of people living beyond a cancer diagnosis reached nearly 14 million in 2014, scientists expect this number to nearly double by the time 2024 arrives.

Stem Cell

One of the most groundbreaking discoveries over the past decades was that of stem cell research and the incredible progress it can offer scientists. A recent study showed nearly 70% of Americans actively supporting embryonic stem cell research, such as federal funding of research on chronic diseases using stem cells from human embryos. Studies have shown nearly 40% of men and women alike will be diagnosed with a form of cancer at some point during their lifetimes. With brain organoids and cancer stem cell biology, these diagnosis can be reached sooner and prevented far better.

Chronic Diseases

Chronic diseases are unique in that they are reoccuring, negatively impacting a patient’s life for many years. However, their symptoms can be reduced and managed to promote a higher quality of life. Cell-cell interactions as well as extracelluar matrix components and growth expression conducted through 3D means have been clinically proven to provide more relevance compared to cells displayed through a 2D culture, allowing scientists the most accurate analysis yet.

Brain Organoids

Brain organoids have made the process of identifying and analyzing cell growth and tumor rates easier than before. An organoid itself is a lab-grown entity, with three-dimensional balls of cells with some of the features of a normal organ providing scientists with a reference point. Shamir and Ewald both define two types of organoids in common usage — the tissue organoids and the stem cell organoids, though this definition could very well expand in the future as technolgogy does.

Crafting A Better Future In Medicine

Every year in the United States over 200,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with either a primary or metastatic brain tumor, with the former comprising nearly 40,000 of these diagnoses. The latter is a form of cancer that spreads from other parts of the body to the brain, a common brain tumor that can be better tackled with the aid of brain organoids. The over 120 different types of brain tumors make effective treatments complicated, causing many to encourage research on cancer stem cells therapy to provide the most options possible for a superior recovery. With cerebral organoids only improving from here, the future is looking better than ever for cancer treatment and diagnosis.