The Institute of Cancer Research

3 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Medicine

Three-Dimensional (3D) Tumor Spheroid Invasion Assay

Maria Vinci^1,2, Carol Box², Suzanne A. Eccles²

¹Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, ²Division of Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research

Invasion of surrounding normal tissues is a defining characteristic of malignant tumors. We provide here a simple, semi-automated micro-plate assay of invasion into a natural 3D biomatrix that has been exemplified with a number of models of advanced human cancers.

Cancer Research

Utilizing Functional Genomics Screening to Identify Potentially Novel Drug Targets in Cancer Cell Spheroid Cultures

Eamonn Morrison^1,2, Patty Wai^1,2, Andri Leonidou^1,2, Philip Bland^1,2, Saira Khalique^1,2, Gillian Farnie³, Frances Daley¹, Barrie Peck^1,2, Rachael Natrajan^1,2

¹The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, Division of Breast Cancer, The Institute of Cancer Research, ²Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, ³Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester

Identifying novel drug targets that transition from pre-clinical testing to human trials is a scientific priority. To that end, here we describe a functional genomics approach for examining the impact of gene depletion on cancer cell line spheroids, which more appropriately model human cancers in vivo.

Biology

Measuring the Confluence of iPSCs Using an Automated Imaging System

Valentina Magliocca^1,2, Maria Vinci³, Tiziana Persichini², Franco Locatelli³, Marco Tartaglia¹, Claudia Compagnucci¹

¹Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS, ²Department of Science, University Roma Tre, ³Department of Onco-hematology, Gene and Cell Therapy, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, IRCCS

The goal of the protocol is to compare different extracellular matrix (ECM) coating conditions to assess how differential coating affects the growth rate of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In particular, we aim to set up conditions to obtain optimal growth of iPSC cultures.