New Publication in "Scientific Reports" by D-BSSE Professor Periklis Pantazis

"Monitoring and Manipulating Cellular Crosstalk During Kidney Fibrosis Inside a 3D In Vitro Co-Culture" describes a novel method for imaging-based screening of 3D cell co-cultures, recapitulating the molecular crosstalk between mesenchyme and endothelia during kidney fibrosis. 

Enlarged view: Periklis_Pantazis

In pharmacological research the development of promising lead compounds requires a detailed understanding of the dynamics of disease progression. However, for many diseases, such as kidney fibrosis, gaining such understanding requires complex real-time, multi-dimensional analysis of diseased and healthy tissue.

To allow for such studies with increased throughput, the Pantazis lab in close collaboration with F. Hoffman-La Roche AG established a dextran hydrogel-based in vitro 3D co-culture as a disease model for kidney fibrosis aimed at the discovery of compounds modulating the epithelial / mesenchymal crosstalk.

Epithelial cell damage onset was robustly detected by image-based monitoring, and injured epithelial spheroids induced myofibroblast differentiation of co-cultured quiescent human fibroblasts.

Therefore, the presented 3D co-culture system provides a unique model system for screening of novel therapeutic molecules capable to interfere and modulate the dialogue between epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Periklis Pantazis emphasises the usefulness in drug screening targeted to this molecular pathway.

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