Harnessing the latest imaging technology to advance angiogenesis research
Ever since the discovery that tumors undergo angiogenesis in order to grow and survive, researchers have sought to better understand the detailed mechanism of new blood vessel formation. Targeting that mechanism with new drug compounds that inhibit the development of vascularization, rather than the tumor cells themselves, has become one of the ‘Holy Grails’ of modern cancer therapeutics research. Whilst the theory is simple enough, the greatest challenge has always been technological limitation – how to develop true-to-life 3D models of human tissue and vasculature that can then be ‘interrogated’ in sufficient detail to understand exactly how angiogenesis progresses, and how it’s inhibited in the presence of new drug compounds. One biotechnology company in the Netherlands, MIMETAS, is operating at the cutting-edge of 3D human tissue models of vasculature for angiogenesis research. Its Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Bas Trietsch, has formed a collaboration with Molecular Devices to push forward angiogenesis research to new heights with their high-content imaging solutions.