AACR 2017: Lonza to Showcase Portfolio of Primary Cells and RAFT™ 3D Culture System

Lonza will be showcasing its extensive portfolio of primary cells and 3D cell culture products designed to support cancer scientists at the AACR Annual Meeting 2017 (April 1-5, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.). As part of this, they will share new applications of the RAFT™ 3D Cell Culture System and primary cells, enabling researchers to more comprehensively devise and develop their cancer experiments.

Lonza will present a poster ‘A 3-Dimensional RAFT™ Co-Culture as Advanced Model for Breast Cancer Drug Discovery’ demonstrating how the RAFT™ 3D Cell Culture System can be used to mimic the complexity of the tumor microenvironment. This allows researchers to embed and culture cancer cells in a high-density collagen matrix and help assess the efficacy of anti-cancer drugs by measuring cell viability. The RAFT™ 3D Culture System allows researchers to build physiologically relevant cell culture models that bridge the gap between 2D and animal studies in drug discovery research by offering a better prediction of the in vivo efficacy and dosage of drug candidates.

In addition to learning about the RAFT™ 3D Culture System, visitors to Lonza’s booth can also discover how the company’s range of primary cells helps support oncology research, in particular the study of cancer progression. While certain immortalized cell lines are commonly accepted as controls, the research community has recently been shifting emphasis towards improved methods and reagents better suited to mimicking in vivo conditions. This has fueled increased need for primary cells. Since cancers originate in normal cells, it is vital that researchers include normal primary cells as necessary, side-by-side controls in their studies. Lonza’s normal primary cells are isolated directly from the tissue with low modification and mutation rates helping researchers build a more comprehensive profile for their cancer studies.

With the adoption of 3D methods and complex co-culturing becoming a growing trend, cell culture media optimization has also become a challenging factor for researchers. Lonza helps researchers ease this transition with BulletKit™ Growth Media, which are robust in supporting co-culture studies. Depending on the specific needs of the co-culture, Lonza’s scientific support team can offer proven solutions supported by a long history of published literature. For cancer research in particular, where both cell lines and primary cells are equally significant, BulletKit™ Media provides researchers with added flexibility and reduced variability across their experiments as the same media can be used to support the growth of both cell types. This also simplifies experimental design. Take for instance, MEGM™ Mammary Growth BulletKit™, which has been utilized by researchers to support growth of Lonza’s primary mammary epithelial cells and well-established breast cell lines, MCF-10A and MCF-12. For optimal convenience and results, BulletKit™ Media are available in Lonza’s all-in-one format, which includes basal medium, growth factors, cytokines and supplements.

“Normal primary cells play a vital role in cancer research,” explains Lubna Hussain, Senior Global Product Manager at Lonza. “These non-transformed, non-immortalized cells taken directly from tissue can be used to study cancer progression and to build a comprehensive profile. As always, we are looking forward to the AACR Annual Meeting; a great forum for sharing the latest cancer discoveries and discussing the application of exciting new concepts and techniques for future research.”