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Multiparametric Analysis of Tissue Spheroids

by | Mar 26, 2020 | In The Lab

Tissue spheroids (TS), often considered a class of scaffold-free organoid models, are being increasingly recognized as a powerful tool to create 3D human tissues. This complex cell and matrix composition is formed without scaffolds and can recapitulate the architecture and functional characteristics of native tissue. TS is extremely attractive as an alternative to animal testing in drug discovery and cancer research, however the fabrication of TS is widely diverse and does not follow a protocol that tracks spheroids size, growth and morphology over time.

Here, Dr. Elena Bulanova and her team at the Laboratory for Biotechnology Research 3D Bioprinting Solutions in Russia has presented a straightforward procedure for fabricating and characterizing TS with defined properties and uniform predictable geometry. Her solution applies to different cell types and uses non-adhesive technology.

Why This Matters

As three-dimensional cell models become more widely adopted in drug discovery and cancer research, understanding their mechanical properties is increasingly important. Tissue stiffness influences cell signaling, drug penetration, and phenotypic behavior, particularly in tumor spheroids where mechanical resistance is a defining feature of the tumor microenvironment. Quantifying spheroid mechanics provides a functional readout that complements biological and molecular assays, enabling more physiologically relevant in vitro disease models

In this comprehensive study, the authors have established that different cell types contributed to different growth patterns, where diameter and roundness parameters were tracked over time up to 9 days. TS morphology and viability were also found to be cell-type specific. Using the CellScale MicroTester, the team directly measured the mechanical properties of tissue spheroids and found that elastic modulus varied significantly depending on cell type and maturation time. This type of micro-compression testing of 3D spheroids enables researchers to distinguish mechanical differences that are not apparent from morphology alone, a principle that is increasingly important in studies examining tumor stiffness and extracellular matrix remodeling in cancer-associated fibroblast–driven models.
The image below shows the setup of the MicroTester for the experiment and the graph below shows the Elastic Modulus of TS for different cell types and maturation time.

 

Mechanical characterization of tissue spheroids is becoming a foundational technique across mechanobiology, cancer research, and organoid-based disease modeling, where stiffness serves as an independent and functionally relevant phenotype.

To read the full article, click here: https://doi.org/10.1002/biot.201900217

To read more about Dr. Bulanova’s research, click here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=V8gGRS0AAAAJ&hl=en

To read about mechanical testing of miniaturized needle arrays, click here.

Read about mechanical testing of tumor spheroids to quantify stiffness changes from a publication out of Japan.