UGR scientists are developing 3D tumor models to test cancer treatments and drugs

Scientists from the University of Granada have created a 3D model of a multicellular head and neck cancer tumor to advance research into the anti-cancer effect of various treatments.

The idea is to have more realistic tumor models that mimic the complexity of the tumor and therefore can accurately reproduce the response to drugs. The revolution in these models is that they include not only proliferating tumor cells and cancer stem cells, but also non-tumor cells and surrounding tumor matrices that influence tumor growth and treatment resistance. In this way, new treatments can be evaluated in an environment that more closely mimics the reality of the human body. “Including healthy cells is key to identifying possible side effects and studying whether the drug specifically targets tumor cells,” explains Julia Lopez, a researcher at the UGR Faculty of Medicine working on the project. “In addition, the model provides valuable information about how the tumor matrix influences drug resistance,” he adds.

The research team includes Julia López de Andrés, César Rodríguez-Santana and Laura de Lara-Peña. This work received initial support from a call from the University of Granada to promote collaboration between doctoral researchers. Based on this scholarship, his thesis supervisors Juan Antonio Marshall, Germaine Escamez and Gema Jiménez decided to move forward with the project, which led to important results.

Melatonin and cancer

Collaboration between laboratories has resulted in these 3D models, which help evaluate, in particular, the effects of melatonin, a compound that has shown high antitumor efficacy in various types of cancer. The results show that melatonin has a significant effect on head and neck cancer tumor cells, especially those that are most drug-resistant: the cancer stem cells responsible for the failure of other treatments. In addition, this substance preserves healthy cells.

The research results were published in the prestigious journal Materials Today Bio. “It is an outstanding achievement that a project aimed at providing experience to young researchers has culminated in a publication of this caliber,” comments researcher César Rodríguez-Santana, who is also working on the study. “Collaboration between laboratories with such different approaches was not an easy task, but their results reinforce the importance of building bridges between different areas of research.”

For his part, Professor Juan Antonio Marshall of the Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology points out that “these new 3D models, recreating the components of the tumor niche, will allow personalized medicine and the simultaneous study of various therapeutic targets in cancer patients.”

Professor of the Department of Physiology Germaine Escames comments that “the results confirming the antitumor effects of melatonin in a model that is closer to what occurs in patients are very important for the translation of melatonin into the clinic.”

The project was realized thanks to the funding of the University of Granada’s own plan, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and the Department of Cancer Stem Cell Research Doctores Galera y Requena UGR.