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Researchers developing 3D cell culture models to advance drug discovery

11 July 2024 | Story André Damons | Photo supplied

FARMVOS — From top (left to right): Dr Angélique Lewies (researcher from the Robert WM Frater Cardiovascular Research Centre within the UFS Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery), Zurika Murray (behavioural geneticist from the UFS Department of Genetics), Dr Marieka Gryzenhout (C-rated scientist and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Genetics), and Dr Jaco Wentzel (serves as the pharmaceutical industry partner and consultant for the project at FARMOVS).

In an effort to advance drug discovery and disease research, researchers from the University of the Free State (UFS), the Central University of Technology (CUT), and FARMOVS, a clinical research company associated with the UFS, is developing innovative 3D cell culture models using 3D printed mini bioreactors.

This interdisciplinary project, led by Dr Angélique Lewies, researcher from the Robert WM Frater Cardiovascular Research Centre (Frater Centre) within the UFS Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, is creating more accurate and human-like models for this purpose, reducing the need for animal testing, and improving the safety and effectiveness of new treatments.

The project was initiated to address the challenges associated with current 3D cell culture techniques, which are often expensive and complex. Recognising the need for a more cost-effective and user-friendly solution, the researchers embarked on this collaboration to develop a novel 3D cell culture system. By making these advanced techniques more accessible, the team aims to enhance the reliability of drug testing and significantly reduce the reliance on animal experiments. This innovative approach not only promises to cut costs but also promotes ethical research practices in the scientific community.

Dr Lewies, whose research specialises in cardio-oncology (relationship between cancer treatment and heart health), particularly in understanding and preventing damage to cardiac cells caused by chemotherapy, leads the cell biology aspects of the project, focusing on the cultivation of 3D cancer spheroid and organoid cultures.

According to her, the project focuses on creating 3D cell cultures, known as spheroids and organoids, that mimic human tissues more closely. These 3D models can improve the reliability of drug testing and reduce the need for animal experiments, aligning with the 3R principles: Reduction, Replacement, and Refinement.

Creating a versatile platform

“Traditional drug discovery and disease studies often rely on flat (2D) cell cultures and animal models. While animal models are essential for understanding disease and testing drug safety, they don't always predict how humans will respond, and their use raises ethical concerns.

“We aim to develop affordable and efficient 3D-printed mini bioreactors for growing these advanced cell cultures. These bioreactors will be designed to fit into existing cell culture labs, making them accessible to researchers. By leveraging the cutting-edge 3D printing technology at CUT's Centre for Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing (CRPM), the team hopes to create a versatile platform for various research applications,” says Dr Lewies.

She is joined in this project by UFS colleagues; Zurika Murray, a behavioural geneticist, and her colleague from the Department of Genetics, Dr Marieka Gryzenhout, a C-rated scientist and Senior Lecturer. Dr Jaco Wentzel from FARMOVS. is also involved in the project. Dr Wentzel serves as the pharmaceutical industry partner and consultant for the project. With experience in cellular biology and pharmaceuticals, he ensures that the new 3D cell culture models meet industry standards and can be effectively used in drug development. Dr Wentzel’s role is crucial in bridging the gap between academic research and practical application in the pharmaceutical industry.

Goals

According to Dr Lewies, this project aims to create more accurate and ethical models for drug testing and improving the development of new treatments. By combining expertise from engineering, biology, and mycology, the team is set to revolutionise how diseases are studied, and medicines developed. Funded by the CUT and UFS Joint Research Programme, this initiative promises to foster innovation and lead to new research collaborations.

“Cardiac cell damage, known as cardiotoxicity, can lead to serious cardiovascular diseases and is a major reason why some drugs are removed from the market. By developing 3D cancer spheroids and cardiac organoids (mini heart models), my team aims to find ways to prevent this cardiotoxicity while enhancing the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs.

“Additionally, they are exploring the cardiotoxic effects of natural products, such as medicinal plants and mushrooms, which show potential for both anticancer and cardio-protective properties,” says Dr Lewies.

Experts

Murray is interested in how the psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin affect the brain with her research focusing on the epigenome of genes within the serotonin pathway, which could explain the therapeutic potential of these compounds. “As part of this project, Murray will work with the Frater Centre to develop neuronal organoids (mini brain models) using the 3D mini-bioreactor platform.

“This will allow her to investigate the effects of psilocybin and psilocin on brain function, which have shown promise in treating mental health disorders like depression and anxiety, aiming to understand how these substances might help treat mental health issues,” says Dr Lewies.

Dr Gryzenhout brings her expertise in mycology and is responsible for cultivating medicinal mushrooms used in the project. Dr Gryzenhout's research focuses on the genetic characterisation of medicinal mushrooms and evaluating their therapeutic potential. These mushrooms produce a variety of bioactive compounds with therapeutic benefits, including anticancer activities, heart protection, and immune system support.

Her team is also approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to research the controlled psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin.

Drug Discovery Goals

The project’s long-term focus is on potentially discovering new drugs to prevent and treat heart and brain diseases. Specifically, the team is working on developing therapies for cardio-oncology and neurological applications. In the realm of cardio-oncology, the goal is to find treatments that prevent cardiac cell damage and downstream cardiovascular diseases caused by cancer therapies, while still effectively targeting cancer cells. For neurological applications, the researchers are exploring the potential of drugs derived from medicinal mushrooms, including those with psychedelic properties, to treat conditions like depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders.

News Archive

Teachers should deal with diversity in education - Prof. Francis

2010-10-08

At the occasion were, from the left: Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS); Prof. Francis; and Prof. Driekie Hay, Vice-Rector: Teaching and Learning at the UFS.
Photo: Jaco van der Merwe

Prof. Dennis Francis, the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State (UFS), recently delivered his inaugural lecture on Troubling Diversity in South African Education on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

He urged teachers to be open to what “diversity” might mean in a particular context and how diversity relates to either inclusion or exclusion.

“An approach that promotes the inclusion of all must be based on an understanding of how exclusion operates in ways that may have typical patterns of oppression, but differ in the specific ways that exclusion is expressed and becomes normalised in that context,” he said.

“The good teacher thus seeks to understand how these forms of exclusion may develop in the school’s context and respond through taking thoughtful action to challenge them. It may require creating a climate that enables the silent to speak and recognising that not all groups communicate in exactly the same ways.”

He said teachers also had to affirm the experiential base of learners and students. He said there was an assumption that students would be more effective practitioners if their own experience were validated and explored.

“It is crucial that the students’ own history is treated as valuable and is a critical part of the data that are reflected,” he said. “Equally important is that such stories and similar activities are intentionally processed to enable students to make the connections between personal experience and relevant theory.”

He also urged them to challenge the ways in which knowledge had been framed through oppression.

“Schools are often characterised by messages that draw on one or another form of oppression. Thus, expectations are subtly or in some cases unsubtly communicated, e.g. that girls are not good at physics, or that, while white learners are strong in abstract thought, African learners have untapped creativity, and so on,” he continued.

“For someone to integrate into their role as educators a commitment against oppression means confronting obstacles that one may previously have shied away from, such as challenging authority, naming privilege, emphasising the power relations that exist between social groups, listening to people one has previously ignored, and risking being seen as deviant, troublesome or unpopular.”

Furthermore, Prof. Francis said dealing with diversity in education was always affectively loaded for both students and teachers. He said in South Africa one injunction from educators was to be “sensitive” and thus avoid risking engagement with the contentious issues around imbalances of power.

“If both students and teachers are to confront issues of oppression and power in any meaningful way, we need to design more purposely for the difficulties they will encounter, for example, creating a classroom environment that promotes safety and trust so that all students are able to confront and deal with prejudice and discrimination. Classroom environments will need to balance the affective and cognitive in addressing issues of diversity and social justice,” he added.

He also said that teachers should recognise the need to complement changing attitudes with attempts to change the structural aspects of oppressions.

“To prevent superficial commitments to change, it is important for students to explore barriers that prevent them from confronting oppressive attitudes and behaviours. In this way students are able to learn and see the structural aspects of oppression,” he said.

“Equally important, however, is to get students to examine the benefits associated with challenging oppression. A fair amount of time must therefore be spent on developing strategies with students which they will be able to use practically in challenging oppression.”

He also advised educators to affirm the capacity of staff and learners to act and learn in ways that do not replicate patterns of oppression.

“Many South African schools have survived both the harsh repression of apartheid and the continuing legacy of oppression of various kinds. Despite that, we are often as educators made aware of the ways in which young people in particular affirm themselves and each other in creative and confident ways,” he concluded.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (acg)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za
7 October 2010

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