Discussion

Traditional cell-based assays relay on cell line culture on plastic. These two-dimensional assays provide unrivalled drug discovery platform throughput, but are weakly predictive of activity in the clinical setting. It became clear that providing a physiological context in these assays is a way to improve on the abysmal attrition rates. I will discuss how this can be achieved by introduction of three-dimensional matrices, human materials and more novel approaches. A thorough analysis of existing physiological solutions for cell-based assays will provide insights as to how far we have gone towards improving translational oncology and how much is to be done. The presentation will cover three main topics: (i) traditional use of natural hydrogel-based in vitro assays and challenges in their quantification; (ii) emergence of spheroid-based assays and use of synthetic scaffolds as quantitative approaches; and (iii) integration of primary tumour materials and need for appropriate matrix solutions for personalised drug development.