Tumor Microenvironment Co-Culture for Reliable Immunotherapy Evaluation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional in vitro assay systems for evaluating anticancer drugs and cancer immunotherapy lack reliability, failing to accurately predict clinical efficacy due to the absence of an environment that mimics the in vivo cancer microenvironment, particularly the influence of immune cells and stromal cells.
Innovation Solution
A method for evaluating anticancer effect and predicting cancer immunotherapy effectiveness by culturing a cell structure comprising cancer cells, stromal cells, and immune cells, measuring the number of living cancer cells post-culture as an indicator, which replicates the in vivo cancer microenvironment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional in vitro assay systems are used to evaluate anticancer drugs, then the evaluation process is simple and fast, but the reliability and accuracy of predicting clinical efficacy is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a heterogeneous cell structure with distinct regions: cancer cells embedded within a stromal cell matrix, with immune cells added separately. This local differentiation of cell types and their spatial arrangement mimics the in vivo cancer microenvironment, improving evaluation reliability while maintaining a manageable assay format.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining multiple cell types (cancer cells, stromal cells, and immune cells) into a single co-culture system. This composite cell structure reproduces the complexity of the in vivo tumor microenvironment, enabling more reliable prediction of anticancer drug efficacy compared to conventional single-cell-type assays.
2Reliability
If animal models are used for immunotherapy evaluation, then the biological system is closer to humans, but the success rate of tumor engraftment varies and it takes time to establish PDX
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies copying by creating an in vitro model that replicates the key features of the in vivo cancer microenvironment. Instead of using animal models that require time-consuming PDX establishment and tumor engraftment, the patent copies the essential cellular components (cancer cells, stromal cells, immune cells) and their interactions in a controlled cell culture system, achieving rapid evaluation without animal model limitations.
3Productivity
If conventional in vitro assay systems remove stroma around cancer cells, then cancer cells can be propagated as a cell mass, but the evaluation does not reflect the in vivo environment where stroma greatly affects cancer cells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by combining cancer cells with stromal cells and immune cells into a single co-culture system. This integration maintains the cancer cells in a physiologically relevant microenvironment where stromal cells provide structural support and signaling, while immune cells contribute to the immune response. This merging improves the reliability of drug efficacy evaluation by preserving the interactive relationships present in the in vivo tumor microenvironment.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for testing an anticancer effect including culturing a cell structure including cancer cells and stromal cells in a presence of an anticancer drug and immune cells, and measuring the number of living cancer cells in the cell structure after the culturing, as an indicator of an anticancer effect of the anticancer drug or the immune cells.