Advanced 3D Cell Culture Expert Guide | Ebook | Corning

Part 1: Predicting drug responses for conventional and IO therapies using MicroOrganoSpheres™ (MOS)

Presented by: Dennis Plenker, Ph.D., Sr. Staff Scientist, Sr. Manager Assay development, Xilis Inc., Durham, NC

Clinical therapies are currently physician’s choice and often driven by the patient’s performance status or molecular testing. However, in most cases clinical biomarkers fail to robustly predict therapy success prior therapy start. Using MOS technology tumor samples can be grown ex vivo and tested against chemotherapies, targeted agents, IO drugs or any clinically available option and beyond. The in vitro responses can inform phenotypically if a patient sample responds to therapy and could be considered an effective therapy for the patient. Therefore, MOS technology is a promising option to stratify patients to effective treatments and is currently evaluated for clinical feasibility.

Part 2: Human IPSC-derived Vascular Cells for Vascularization of Organoids and Ischemic Tissues

Presented by: Ping Zhou, Ph.D., Stem Cell Program and Department of Internal Medicine, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA

Vascular cells hold great potential not only for treating vascular disease but also for engineering vascularized organoids and tissues for transplantation. We have developed a robust protocol to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into endothelial cells as well as vascular smooth muscle progenitor. These vascular cells were capable to form tubes on Matrigel in vitro. Furthermore, the endothelial cells derived from hPSCs generated functional blood vessels that were connected to the host vasculature in the ischemic limbs of immune deficient mice. When cultured with hPSC-derived hepatocytes progenitors on solidified Matrigel bed, liver organoids were formed. These liver organoids displayed liver specific expression and maintained the transplanted iPSC-derived endothelial cells two months after being transplanted into mice. Our study suggests broad applications of hPSC-derived vascular cells.