Development of an innovative 3D cell culture system to study tumour – stroma interactions in non-small cell lung cancer cells

Introduction: We describe a novel 3D co-culture method using non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines in combination with a lung fibroblast cell line in the hanging drop technology. Compared to other 3D models, it better reflects tumour growth in its microenvironment since no addition of growth factors or artificial extracellular matrix (ECM) substitutes are required. Methods: Automation-compatible multi-well hanging drop microtiter plates were used for the production of 3D mono- and co-cultures. In these hanging drops the two NSCLC cell lines A549 and Colo699 were cultivated either alone or co-cultured wit…