In Vitro 3D Models: What's Hot in 2023

Government actions and advances in AI are paving the way for their transition to the main stage

In the last 15 years, a plethora of innovative 3D in vitro systems have been developed. Most of that time was spent in academic labs understanding the biology of the disease or identifying promising targets to treat specific malignancies, but regulators are helping bring them into the mainstream. In September the US Senate unanimously passed the FDA Modernization Act which would end the mandate to test new drugs and biosimilars on animals, the Senate paved the way to animal free toxicity testing. With the FDA´s announcement of the “New Alternative Methods Program” in June, the future of biomedicine will certainly be based on less animal research. So, it would seem in vitro 3D models, like the organ-on-a-chip system shown above, are an ideal replacement as they fulfill the essential requirements: to create a complete human system, and recapitulate the major components of the human body, such as tissue architecture, circulation, and tissue-air interface.

There are significant issues with these in vitro systems. One must account that the cell source has a significant impact on the translational relevance of the platform. Furthermore, an increase in complexity usually comes with a decrease in scalability and robustness. The major challenge in the upcoming year is to identify the most suitable in vitro 3D system for the respective application and scientific question. From the vantage point of the present, there is no one-size-fits-all model available.

Thus, the key to success will be the optimal combination of new state-of-the-art platforms. This requires a deep understanding of the individual platform and their output but also data harmonization. Supported by the increasing use of artificial intelligence the latter is gaining awareness thereby increasing the quality of preclinical datasets in general. In the end, the integration of complex 3D models has the potential to improve drug development and toxicology testing. To drive adoption, standardization will be key, and can best be achieved in the framework of PPP´s as envisaged by the FDA or the European Commission.

-- Julia Schueler, Research Director, Discovery Oncology, Charles River