Methods in cancer research: Assessing therapy response of spheroid cultures by life cell imaging using a Cost-Effective Live-Dead Staining Protocol

Spheroid cultures of cancer cell lines or primary cells represent a more clinically relevant model for predicting therapy response compared to two-dimensional cell culture. However, current live-dead staining protocols used for treatment response in spheroid cultures are often expensive, toxic to the cells, or limited in their ability to monitor therapy response over an extended period due to reduced stability. In our study, we have developed a cost-effective method utilizing calcein-AM and Helix NP Blue for live-dead staining, enabling the monitoring of therapy response of spheroid cultures for up to 10 days. Using the example of glioblastoma cell lines and primary glioblastoma cells we show that spheroid cultures typically exhibit a green outer layer of viable cells, a turquoise mantle of hypoxic quiescent cells, and a blue core of necrotic cells when visualized using confocal microscopy. Upon treatment of spheroids with the alkylating agent temozolomide, we observed a reduction in the viability of glioblastoma cells after an incubation period of six to seven days. This method can also be adapted for monitoring therapy response in different cancer systems, offering a versatile and cost-effective approach for assessing therapy efficacy in three-dimensional culture models.