Research Highlights

Uncovering the Role of Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Ovarian Cancer Therapy Using VitroGel® Models

Posted on by Kyra Baricaua

VitroGel® ORGANOID 3 turns tumor–immune interactions into clear insights without the variability of animal-based matrices.

Category:
Organoids

Subcategory:
Different types of organoids

Cell Type:
OVCAR8 and Malignant ascites

Hydrogel:
VitroGel® ORGANOID (VHM04-3)

Team:
Hasitha U Premathilake, Caio H Mazucanti, Qin Yao, Jennifer F. O’Connell, NanditaVegesna, Dimitrios Tsitsipatis, Cory Weller, Kwan-Wood Gabriel Lam, Julián Candia, Jinshui Fan, Supriyo De, Payel Sen, Josephine M Egan, Máire E Doyle

Institution:
University of New Mexico Health Science Center

A major challenge in ovarian cancer is chemotherapy resistance, often driven by the tumor’s immune microenvironment. Traditional culture systems fail to mimic these complex cell–cell interactions.

Using VitroGel® ORGANOID 3 (VHM04-3), researchers at the University of New Mexico established 3D co-cultures of patient-derived ovarian cancer organoids with macrophages. This xeno-free synthetic matrix enabled precise tracking of macrophage infiltration and its impact on drug response.

Researchers found that M2 macrophages boosted organoid survival and reduced sensitivity to paclitaxel, while macrophage-targeted therapies restored drug efficacy.

VitroGel® provided a physiologically relevant and reproducible 3D platform to uncover how immune cells drive chemotherapy resistance.

PRODUCTS USED:

VitroGel® ORGANOID-3

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