A simplified method for production and growth of multicellular tumor spheroids.

A new technique, based on the growth of tumor cells in liquid media over an agar base, has been developed for the formation and growth of multicellular tumor spheroids. All of the 11 transformed cell lines tested formed multicellular tumor spheroids, while none of the 8 normal cell types tested did so. The advantages of the present technique over older methods include its simplicity, generality, and experimental flexibility.