According to a study published in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, scientists have devised a new model for the simultaneous and quick testing of several pharmacological compounds in medications for cervical cancer. For the model, the scientists have utilized a three-dimensional cellular platform, allowing for large-scale screenings to find novel and individualized treatments for cervical cancer.

According to the World Health Organization, with around 600,000 new cases identified each year, cervical cancer is the fourth most common malignancy in women overall. More than 20% of occurrences involve women over 65, the majority of whom did not receive routine cervical cancer screening.

The study, led by Oregon State Universitys (OSU) College of Engineering, described the method to depart from the historic means of testing drugs, which used a single layer of cells. Dr. Kaitlin Fogg, lead researcher and assistant professor at the OSU College of Engineering, stated that two-dimensional monolayer models are not able to adequately mimic the tumor microenvironment since nothing in human bodies matches a single layer of cells on a piece of hard plastic.

Dr. Fogg explained that because cancer spread and the growth of new blood vessels that tumors require are intrinsically three-dimensional processes, they must travel through materials that more closely resemble the human body.

The goal of the study was to develop and validate a tumor in a dish model that approximates the cervical cancer tumor microenvironment, interfaces with existing high-throughput methods, and can evaluate cancer invasion and blood vessel formation over time.

High-throughput screening, or HTS, is the automated, concurrent evaluation of the potential therapeutic efficacy of numerous distinct compounds. The new model uses plates the size of giant ice cube trays to house the substances to be analyzed, which speeds up drug analysis because a huge "library" of substances can be screened rapidly and affordably. She added that the model permitted the simultaneous examination of hundreds of medications and the quick identification of those that could stop cancer invasion and the growth of new blood vessels.

 (Source: https://www.financialexpress.com/healthcare/diagnostic/scientists-develop-model-to-fast-track-effective-screening-of-cervical-cancer-drugs/3028633/ )