Figure 1.

Overview of systematic platform for prediction of tumor purity from patient tumor-derived cells (PDCs) and 3D-based high-throughput drug screening for two-drug combination therapy (A) Schematic representation of the generation of patient-derived tumor cell models from tumor tissue or malignant ascites from patients with stage IV gastric cancer. Two-dimensional (2D) cultured monolayer PDCs were seeded with 3D-culture medium. Multi-color antibodies including EpCAM, vimentin, and DAPI were used and fluorescence intensity in various gastric cancer cell lines and PDCs was measured. Tumor purity was predicted. Using PDCs with a proper amount of tumor purity, high-throughput monotherapy, or combinatorial drug screening was performed in a micropillar/microwell chip screening assay. (B) Demonstration of proficient EpCAM expression and deficient vimentin expression in five gastric cancer cell lines (AGS, KATO-III, MKN-45, NCI-N87, SNU-216). DAPI (nuclear blue fluorescent label) was stained to label cell nuclei. EpCAM and vimentin expression levels are depicted as fluorescence intensities (relative fluorescence units, RFU). Demonstration of significantly different expressions of EpCAM and vimentin in five gastric cell lines. Fluorescence intensities of EpCAM and vimentin were measured; EpCAM expression intensity increased when the concentrations of tumor cells proportionately increased.