Fig. 1

Conceptual representation of the multicellular ovarian cancer-fibroblast spheroid model. In the in vivo setting of ovarian cancer, the TME, including fibroblasts, has a significant impact on tumour characteristics and fibroblasts play an important role in both primary tumour formation and metastasis. CAFs play a crucial role, especially in the formation of heterotypic spheroids. To incorporate this into a model, a spheroid culture of ovarian cancer cells and fibroblasts was developed. For this purpose, cells were co-cultivated for 96 h in ultra-low attachment plates and characterised by scanning electronic microscopy, immunohistochemistry, fluorescence microscope and cytotoxicity assays. Systematic characterization of the generated spheroids (cell viability, spheroid geometry and morphology) is essential to ensure the suitability for drug screening.