In the recently published instructive video, Vrije Universiteit Brussel describes the practical set-up of 3D spheroid cell cultures for studying nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and liver cancer.
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), the partner in the ONTOX project, demonstrates the set-up of 2 human-based 3D spheroid liver models for fundamental nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver cancer in the video created by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL):
“Human-based in vitro models are increasingly being used in the hepatology field. And in addition to the obvious ethical arguments, they offer several advantages over the classical animal models. One of them is the ability to perform mechanistic research at the molecular level in a well-controlled setting and reduce species differences.”
Prof. Mathieu Vinken, ONTOX coordinator and VUB team lead
These liver-based in vitro models can range from simple monolayer cultures of hepatocytes to the liver-on-chips systems in which all liver cells are cultured in a 3D configuration on a microfluidic platform. Liver-based in vitro models must be selected on a case-by-case basis and should fit the purpose of the research, which might go from fundamental to translational research.
The targeted audience of this instructive video:
- Basic and translational researchers
- Clinical researchers
- Laboratory technicians
- Students
The full protocol is available on the EASL website after the free registration.