Improving early-phase drug testing
Assessing a microfluidics device as a 3D in vitro tumor model
The overall aim of this research is to improve the accuracy of early stage drug testing to reduce waste of resources and ensure drugs with therapeutic potential make it to clinical trials. In vitro testing, meaning testing done outside of a living organism, is typically one of the first types of screening a drug will have to pass in order to reach patients. These tests are most commonly performed on a single flat layer of cells and the results determine if the drug moves on or not. These tests can produce results that are not representative of a drug's ability to treat human disease. The Forbes group has produced a microfluidics device into which tumor cell clusters called spheroids can be loaded to create a more physiological environment than a simple cell monolayer. This project aims to determine if this device is able to predict the efficacy of a drug in real tumors better than a cell monolayer can.
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