Techniques: A 3D model of Ewing's sarcoma incorporating physiological shear stress
A 3D model of Ewing's sarcoma incorporating shear stress could be used to screen therapies for the disease. The model was constructed by seeding a 3D electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffold with a Ewing's sarcoma cell line and subjecting the scaffold to levels of flow perfusion that mimicked in vivo shear stress on bone tissue. Comparison of the shear-stress model with static 3D cultures showed that the shear-stress model had higher rates of cellular proliferation; lower levels of stem cell factor (SCF) receptor tyrosine kinase (c-Kit; KIT; CD117) and epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2; EGFR2; ErbB2; neu), comparable to those observed in animal models of the disease; higher levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), comparable to those observed in Ewing's sarcoma patients; and greater sensitivity to dalotuzumab, which has shown efficacy in Ewing's sarcoma patients but not in other in vitro models. Next steps include incorporating additional cell types in the model to mimic the tumor microenvironment and using the model to screen compounds...