Discussion
Our HB models are easy-to-handle, producible at large scale, and can be cryopreserved for ready-to-use on-demand application. Our newly generated 3D HB platform may therefore represent a faithful preclinical model for testing treatment response in precision cancer medicine.
Methods
In a sequence of physical, chemical and enzymatic decellularisation techniques mouse livers were stripped off all cellular components to obtain a 3D scaffold. HB cell lines were then seeded onto these scaffolds and cultivated for several weeks.
Results
Our newly generated biological scaffolds consist of liver-specific extracellular matrix components including collagen IV and fibronectin. A cultivation of HB cell lines on these scaffolds led to the formation of 3D tumour structures by infiltration into the matrix. Analyses of drug response to standard-of-care medication for HB showed reliable reproducibility of our stocked models.