Metabolic Microscopy of Head and Neck Cancer Organoids

Studies for head and neck cancer have primarily relied on cell lines or in vivo animal studies. However, a technique that combines the benefits of high-throughput in vitro studies with a complex, physiologically relevant microenvironment would be advantageous for understanding drug effects. Organoids provide a unique platform that fulfills these goals. Organoids are generated from excised and digested tumor tissue and are grown in culture. Fluorescence microscopy provides high-resolution images on a similar spatial scale as organoids. In particular, autofluorescence imaging of the metabolic cofactors NAD(P)H and FAD can provide insight into response to anti-cancer treatment. The optical redox ratio reflects relative amounts of NAD(P)H and FAD, and the fluorescence lifetime reflects enzyme activity of NAD(P)H and FAD. This study optimizes and characterizes the generation and culture of organoids grown from head and neck cancer tissue. Additionally, organoids were treated for 24 hours with a standard chemotherapy, and metabolic response in the organoids was measured using optical metabolic imaging. Ultimately, combining head and neck cancer organoids with optical metabolic imaging could be applied to test drug sensitivity for drug development studies as well as treatment planning for cancer patients.