3D Cell Culture Models in COVID-19 Times: A Review of 3D Technologies to Understand and Accelerate Therapeutic Drug Discovery

In the last decades, emerging viruses have become a worldwide concern. The fast and extensive spread of the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has impacted the economy and human activity worldwide, highlighting the human vulnerability to infectious diseases and the need to develop and optimize...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Guadalupe Tonantzin de Dios-Figueroa, Janette del Rocío Aguilera-Marquez, Tanya A. Camacho-Villegas, Pavel H. Lugo-Fabres
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
Series:Biomedicines
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/9/6/602
Description
Summary:In the last decades, emerging viruses have become a worldwide concern. The fast and extensive spread of the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has impacted the economy and human activity worldwide, highlighting the human vulnerability to infectious diseases and the need to develop and optimize technologies to tackle them. The three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models emulate major tissue characteristics such as the in vivo virus–host interactions. These systems may help to generate a quick response to confront new viruses, establish a reliable evaluation of the pathophysiology, and contribute to therapeutic drug evaluation in pandemic situations such as the one that humanity is living through today. This review describes different types of 3D cell culture models, such as spheroids, scaffolds, organoids, and organs-on-a-chip, that are used in virus research, including those used to understand the new severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
ISSN:2227-9059