A 3D multi-cellular tissue model of the human omentum to study the formation of ovarian cancer metastasis

Manuela Estermann; Ricardo Coelho; Francis Jacob; Yen-Lin Huang; Ching-Yeu Liang; Ana Bela Faia-Torres; Dedy Septiadi; Barbara Drasler; Bedia Begum Karakocak; Irini Magdelina Dijkhoff; Alke Petri-Fink; Viola Heinzelmann-Schwarz; Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser

doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.121996

A 3D multi-cellular tissue model of the human omentum to study the formation of ovarian cancer metastasis

Biomaterials. 2023 Mar:294:121996. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.121996. Epub 2023 Jan 14.

Affiliations

¹ Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
² Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
³ Institute for Chemistry and Bioanalytics, School of Life Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Muttenz, Switzerland.
⁴ Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland; Department of Chemistry, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
⁵ Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland. Electronic address: barbara.rothen@unifr.ch.

PMID: 36689832
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.121996

Abstract

Reliable and predictive experimental models are urgently needed to study metastatic mechanisms of ovarian cancer cells in the omentum. Although models for ovarian cancer cell adhesion and invasion were previously investigated, the lack of certain omental cell types, which influence the metastatic behavior of cancer cells, limits the application of these tissue models. Here, we describe a 3D multi-cellular human omentum tissue model, which considers the spatial arrangement of five omental cell types. Reproducible tissue models were fabricated combining permeable cell culture inserts and bioprinting technology to mimic metastatic processes of immortalized and patient-derived ovarian cancer cells. The implementation of an endothelial barrier further allowed studying the interaction between cancer and endothelial cells during hematogenous dissemination and the impact of chemotherapeutic drugs. This proof-of-concept study may serve as a platform for patient-specific investigations in personalized oncology in the future.

Keywords: Bioprinting; Metastasis; Multi-cellular tissue model; Omentum; Ovarian cancer.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cell Culture Techniques
Cells, Cultured
Endothelial Cells / metabolism
Female
Humans
Omentum* / metabolism
Omentum* / pathology
Ovarian Neoplasms* / pathology