Prediction of nanomedicine PK/PD is a major goal in the design, optimization, and selection of drug products. There are currently various approaches by which the mechanisms and extension of nanomedicines can be evaluated at different preclinical stages of the drug development pipeline. These include in silico, in vitro, in situ, ex vivo and in vivo methodologies.
Cell culture models offer the advantage of a highly defined tool in which different parameters and conditions can be assessed. In general, nanomedicines are less effective toward 3D models comparatively to cell culture monolayers, emphasizing the importance of the association of immune cells, extracellular matrix, and stromal components, to have a better predictive drug response. Still, replicate the 3D cell environment in order to have models that better reproduce the in vivo situation, including vascularization, is not straightforward.
In this talk, our recent advances on the establishment of multicompartmental models for nanomedicine screening will be detailed. Particular focus will be given to multicellular tumor spheroids of colorectal, breast and glioblastoma cancers, and their interconnection with surrounding tissues.