Novel N-cadherin antagonist causes glioblastoma cell death in a 3D bioprinted co-culture model.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a deadly type of brain cancer. There is a need to identify novel therapies for GBM as current treatments only marginally increase survival. Modelling the complexity of cancerous tissues using 3D bioprinted constructs serves as a novel approach for preclinical testing of anticancer drugs. A novel small molecule antagonist of the cell adhesion molecule, N-cadherin (NCAD), (S)-1-(3,4-Dichlorophenoxy)-3-(4-((S)-2-hydroxy-3-(4-methoxyphenoxy)propylamino)piperidin-1-yl)propan-2-ol has shown promise as an anticancer agent. This study investigated the influence of this antagonist on GBM cells bioprinted with astrocytes into 3D constructs. The NCAD antagonist prevented spheroid formation and induced cell death in the 3D model. This is the first demonstration that an NCAD antagonist can cause GBM cell death.