A simple, low-cost staining method for rapid-throughput analysis of tumor spheroids
Frank Eckerdt,
Angel Alvarez,
Jonathan Bell,
Constadina Arvanitis,
Asneha Iqbal,
Ahmet D. Arslan,
Bo Hu,
Shi-Yuan Cheng,
Stewart Goldman,
Leonidas C. Platanias
Affiliations
Frank Eckerdt
1Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Division of Hematology-Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Angel Alvarez
2Department of Neurology, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern Brain Tumor Institute, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Jonathan Bell
1Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Division of Hematology-Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Constadina Arvanitis
3Center for Advanced Microscopy and Department of Pathology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Asneha Iqbal
1Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Division of Hematology-Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Ahmet D. Arslan
1Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Division of Hematology-Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Bo Hu
2Department of Neurology, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern Brain Tumor Institute, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Shi-Yuan Cheng
2Department of Neurology, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern Brain Tumor Institute, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Stewart Goldman
1Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Division of Hematology-Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Leonidas C. Platanias
1Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Division of Hematology-Oncology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
Tumor spheroids are becoming an important tool for the investigation of cancer stem cell (CSC) function in tumors; thus, low-cost and high-throughput methods for drug screening of tumor spheroids are needed. Using neurospheres as non-adherent three-dimensional (3-D) cultures, we developed a simple, low-cost acridine orange (AO)–based method that allows for rapid analysis of live neurospheres by fluorescence microscopy in a 96-well format. This assay measures the cross-section area of a spheroid, which corresponds to cell viability. Our novel method allows rapid screening of a panel of anti-proliferative drugs to assess inhibitory effects on the growth of cancer stem cells in 3-D cultures.
