Advances in 3D cell culture excite us — that’s why we got into this game. But what does it mean for the future of your healthcare?
If you’re not familiar, you can imagine 3D cell culture as miniature organs. These organs can be used in early-stage drug development by pharmaceutical companies to test new drug candidates before they reach human trials.
Here’s why they’re so cool:
Benefit #1: They mimic the real world 🌍
In 3D cell culture, cells grow in three dimensions, forming structures that closely resemble the complexity of human tissues. This allows us to better mimic the real-world conditions of disease, leading to more accurate results and drug responses.
The closer we can get to human-like conditions in vitro, the better chance we have to create drugs and treatments that actually work.
Benefit #2: Enhanced predictivity ⏳💰
By replicating the native tissue microenvironment, 3D cultures provide a more predictive platform for screening potential drug candidates. This can significantly reduce the time and resources spent on failed drug candidates in later stages of development.
Less expensive to produce = more affordable for you and me.
Benefit #3: Personalized medicine potential 🧬
3D cell culture’s ability to use patient-derived cells opens the door to personalized medicine. Tailoring treatments to individual patients could revolutionize how we approach healthcare, offering more effective and less invasive therapies.
New drugs can be developed for certain subsets of people, reducing the potential for negative side effects for patients.
Benefit #4: Reducing animal testing 🐾
3D cell culture offers a viable alternative, potentially leading to more humane and sustainable drug development practices. We use animal models because they are representative of a complex biological system that can be used to test the overall effect of a drug on different organs and bodily systems. But if we can make in-vitro models that do the same, we can start to move away from animal testing (hopefully completely, in time).
The less harm we can inflict on animals, the better.
Benefit #5: Accelerating drug discovery 🚀
The enhanced relevance and predictivity of 3D cell culture can accelerate drug discovery and development. This means potentially life-saving medications reach patients sooner.
Some people need treatment now, not in 10 years. Better models can help us get potentially life-saving treatments into the hands of patients more quickly.
At Lucero, we strongly believe that implementing 3D cell culture in pharmaceutical drug development is vital to developing the next generation of personalized medicines. That’s why we’re working so hard to develop our novel cell-handling platform.
So that scientists can start using 3D cell culture in their routine drug screens at a cost (both money and time) that is scalable.
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