Guest Editors
Rossella Lucà
Institute of Biochemical and Biological Science (IBBC), National Research Council (CNR)
Dr. Lucà is a molecular biologist with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from K.U. Leuven medical school. Her research interest is focused on the mechanisms of metastasis in tumors using both in vivo and in vitro techniques, focusing on 3D assays. She has developed a new assay to study cancer metastasis spreading from primary tumors, based on 3D bioprinting of cancer spheroids and HUVEC cells. Dr. Lucà is currently a full-time scientific researcher at the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC) at the National Research Council. She is currently working on understanding the mechanism of tumor progression to translate it into developing preclinical models for tailored anti-cancer drugs therapy.
Alessandra Guidi
Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology (IBPM), CNR
Dr. Alessandra Guidi is a cellular and molecular biologist working at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology (IBPM), CNR. Her current field of research is epigenetics which focuses on unveiling the role of specific factors involved in cellular differentiation and initiating the development of tumors.
Collection Overview
The swift development of therapeutics and vaccines is crucial to tackling the emergence of novel pathogens and infectious diseases and for disease-targeted therapies. The traditional drug development process can be retooled by introducing new in vitro models as substitutes to traditional disease models and using advanced technology to generate medicine and cell/drug delivery systems to ramp up the drug discovery process.
Cell culture is the most extensively used in vitro method, and it has increased our understanding of cell biology, tissue morphology, disease processes or pathogenesis, medication action, and tissue engineering. Most disease biology research focuses on in vitro experiments with two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures, which has several drawbacks. In context with these limitations, the emergence of layer-by-layer assembly with a 3D bioprinting system or other similar technologies delivers a valuable method for designing systems that mimic biological processes and provide steadfast in vitro models for disease research. Furthermore, 3D bioprinting and microfluidic microchips improve successful vaccine production, therapies, and appropriate delivery methods due to their great flexibility and versatility.
This Methods Collection aims to present a reliable alternative to in vivo methods including, but not limited to microgel fabrication, microgel-based bio-ink formulation, gel supports for embedded 3D printing, microfluidics microchip, and others.
