Marine Collagen Substrates for 2D and 3D Ovarian Cancer Cell Systems

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., 2019

The recent publication in the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology titled ‘Marine Collagen Substrates for 2D and 3D Ovarian Cancer Cell Systems’ has demonstrated that jellyfish collagen provides a reliable in vitro micro-environment for the proliferation and migration of Ovarian cancer cells. (OvCa.3 & SKOV.3).

Cancer biology remains one of the biggest challenges of this century. There were 7,470 new cases of ovarian cancer in the UK (2014 -2016) and 4,116 deaths in 2017, and the need to continue research with the support of innovative new biomaterials will help develop new treatments and find a cure sooner.

The collaborative study with Swansea University and Jellagen Ltd funded through the Celtic Advanced Life Science Innovation Network (CALIN) was started to understand if jellyfish collagen from R.Pulmo (Jellagen®) could be used as a sustainable alternative to mammalian/vertebrate sources. Advancements in the scientific community are driving the desire to reduce its reliance on mammalian species through the risk of disease vector transfer, irregular reproducibility and ethical practice.

With bodies such as the FDA (The Food and Drug Administration) & EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) aiming to reduce and eliminate animal testing by 2035 the need to find alternatives to mammalian derived products is greater now, than ever before.