Three-dimensional (3D) cultures are better able to reflect the tumor microenvironment than two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cultures by facilitating cell-cell interactions in the appropriate spatial dimensions. Here I describe the isolation and co-culture of immune cells with tumor cell lines in a three-dimensional system facilitated by a basement membrane extract. This allows for further downstream applications to analyze interactions between these cell types.
Keywords: 3D cell models; 3D culture; Co-culture; Lymphocyte culture; Tumor microenvironment.