Researchers from iNOVA4Health partner and coordinator, iBET, published this month a review article in the journal Biotechnology Advances addressing the potential of bioimaging techniques and omics tools to advance drug discovery processes using 3D cell models.

This review addresses recent advances in imaging technologies, including optical bioimaging technologies and electron microscopy, and spatially-resolved omics tools, such as transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, already applied or with the potential to characterize and interrogate 3D cell models.

The authors highlight the importance of adapting methodologies initially designed for tissue analysis to improve spatial resolution in 3D cell models analysis: “Advances in the 3D analytical method toolbox, focusing on technologies that preserve valuable spatial information, provide the scientific community with better tools to further develop, validate and explore 3D cell models.”, writes Daniel Simão, first author in this publication.

Finally, significant hurdles to the application of these methodologies, which include the setup of good bioinformatics infrastructures and the technical development of multiplexed strategies and automation technologies, are also pinpointed.

Click here to know more about how spatially-resolved tools can unlock the full potential of 3D cell models to address open questions in human disease mechanisms and boost the fields of disease modeling, drug discovery and toxicology.

Congratulations to the authors Daniel Simão, Catarina Gomes, Paula M. Alves and Catarina Brito.

Research review paper:

Simão D, Gomes CM, Alves PM and Brito C. (2021) Capturing the third dimension in drug discovery: Spatially-resolved tools for interrogation of complex 3D cell models, Biotechnology Advances doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2021.107883