Research Highlights
Modeling Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Progression with VitroGel®-Based 3D Cultures and Cell Recovery Tools
VitroGel® and its Cell Recovery Solution streamline 3D culture and cell isolation for high-impact tumor microenvironment studies.
Category:
3D Cell models
Subcategory:
Functional assays/Invasion/Migration
Tissue type: HUVEC and HMEC-1 cells
Hydrogel:
VitroGel® Hydrogel Matrix (VHM01)
Team:
Fei Li, Lin Song, Yue He,, Peiling Chen, Jiasheng Wang, Maozhen Zeng ,Chunmou Li, Junru Chen, Haisheng Chen, Qiqi Guo ,Jiaxi Fan, Xuan Huang, Qi Wang and Qing Zhang
Institutions:
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
- School of Life Sciences, Huizhou University, Huizhou, China.
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
Understanding the mechanisms driving nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) progression and metastasis requires physiologically relevant in vitro models. In this study, researchers investigated how FLT1-enriched extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediate a pro-metastatic feedback loop between NPC cells and endothelial cells. To accurately model tumor architecture and spatial biomarker distribution, they employed VitroGel® Hydrogel Matrix, a xeno-free hydrogel system, to generate 3D NPC spheroids that mimic the in vivo tumor microenvironment.
VitroGel® enabled consistent and reproducible formation of NPC spheroids, supporting long-term culture and preserving cellular morphology for downstream analysis. Importantly, the VitroGel® Cell Recovery Solution allowed for gentle, non-enzymatic extraction of intact spheroids and embedded cells. This step was essential for immunofluorescence staining and evaluating the spatial distribution of markers such as FLT1 and vimentin, particularly in the peripheral regions of spheroids—where metastatic traits were most pronounced after EV treatment.
The use of VitroGel® and its recovery system provided a robust and efficient workflow to study NPC spheroid dynamics and EV-induced phenotypic changes. This approach revealed how EV-mediated FLT1 transfer promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) within 3D cultures. Overall, VitroGel® proved valuable for modeling NPC cell behavior and enhancing the resolution of EV-driven tumor biology.
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