2-D DIGE Analysis of Multicellular Tumor Spheroids in Evaluation of Breast Cancer Treatment

Many cancers can be diagnosed using positron emission tomography (PET) and PET can also be used to monitor how effective various treatments are in individual patients. Tumor spheroids are cancer cells grown on agar coated dishes forming a 3D structure. They are widely used in preclinical cancer research, where the multicellular tumor spheroid model is considered biologically and physiologically similar to in vivo grown tumors. In this study we have used Two-dimensional Difference Gel Electrophoresis (2-D DIGE) analysis to gain more insight in differences in protein expression as a result of drug treatment of multicellular tumor spheroids. 2-D DIGE can be used to identify possible new biomarkers for development of new PET tracers and drug targets. Combining 2-D DIGE and PET results can be used for improving diagnosis and treatment.