Modeling Ovarian Cancer Communication for Imaging Mass Spectrometry Analysis: A Method to Identify Small Molecule Chemical Communicators in Metastatic Ovarian Tumor Development

Tumorigenic cells from the fallopian tube stimulate healthy ovary cells to produce chemical communicators or small molecules that promote tumor metastasis. To visualize these chemical communicators, begin by assembling a well-divider on top of a suitable glass slide. Position a plastic divider diagonally in the well to separate the well into two equal-sized compartments. Dispense a suspension of fallopian tube tumor cells in liquid agarose into one compartment of the well. Upon cooling, the agarose solidifies and forms a 3D network enabling tumor cells' entrapment.

Remove the divider and place a healthy ovarian tissue centrally in the empty compartment. Cover it with a liquid agarose mixture. Allow the agarose to solidify and embed the ovarian tissue in proximity to the cancer cells. Incubate for the desired duration. Both the tumor cells and healthy ovarian cells produce small molecules that diffuse through the agarose network towards their neighboring cells.

Remove the well-divider. Dry the co-culture to desiccate and flatten the agar, and capture the released small molecules within the matrix. Visualize the distribution of small molecules using imaging mass spectroscopy or IMS.