Preface

Chapter 7 **Morphological Comparison of Stem Cells Using Two-Dimensional Culture and Spheroid Culture 139** Sae Kyung Min, Hyunjin Lee, Minji Kim and Jun-Beom Park

Chapter 9 **Air Pouch Model: An Alternative Method for Cancer Drug**

Chapter 10 **Optimization of the Self-Assembly Method for the Production**

Alexe Grenier, Isabelle Gendreau and Roxane Pouliot

Chapter 11 **Monolayers of Carbohydrate-Containing Lipids at the Water-**

Raymond W. Nims, Amanda Capes-Davis, Christopher Korch and

Moisés Armides Franco-Molina, Silvia Elena Santana-Krímskaya and

Eszter Varga, Marten Hansen, Emile van den Akker and Marieke von

**Section 4 Specific Applications and Methodologies 149**

Chapter 8 **Authenticating Hybrid Cell Lines 151**

Cristina Rodríguez-Padilla

**of Psoriatic Skin Substitutes 195**

Bishal Nepal and Keith J. Stine

Chapter 12 **Erythropoiesis and Megakaryopoiesis in a Dish 243**

Yvonne A. Reid

**VI** Contents

**Discovery 171**

**Air Interface 213**

Lindern

Cell culture is one of the major tools used in studies of cellular and molecular biology. It delivers an excellent model for studying the normal physiology and biochemistry of cells, and the effects of environment, stresses, drugs, and toxic compounds on the cells' behavior. This book covers some advanced aspects in cell culture methodologies, and medical, re‐ search and clinical applications of cultured cells.

The book comprises four sections that include a total of 12 chapters. In the first section, "Cell Culturing Techniques," different types of cell culture models are discussed, including threedimensional cell culture techniques, their role in drug discovery, together with their advan‐ tages and limitations in comparison with traditional two-dimensional culturing.

The second section, "Cell Imaging and Viability," includes autophagy as a cell rescue and cell death method by providing protocols for researchers to investigate the role of autopha‐ gy using an *in vitro* cell line as a model. *In vitro* toxicity tests of nanomaterials on cultured cells and evaluation protocols are accurate, cost-effective, and time-saving methods. Cell imaging is a powerful and versatile tool for monitoring cells using time-lapse microscopy, a real-time imaging of living cells, which points to the fact that modern biology and medicine are entering a thrilling and promising age of molecular cinematography.

The third section, "Stem Cell Culture and Applications," includes stem cell culture for cellbased therapeutics, reviewing the current status of stem cell production and its derivatives, which are paving the way to different treatments in the clinic. Descriptions of two- and three-dimensional cultures and comparison of the behavior of stem cells in two- and threedimensional environments are discussed.

Some specific applications and methodologies are shown in the fourth section, which in‐ cludes a description of various approaches that have been used for identifying hybrid cell lines and the results that might be expected when using various technologies for this pur‐ pose. The air-pouch cancer model is a confined tumor microenvironment. It is a modified method for the production of skin substitutes that makes it possible to obtain substitutes that are distinguished by better reproducibility, thus serving as a new tool of choice for pharmacological analyses. The techniques for fabrication of monolayer models and methods used for their studies with a focus on glycolipids are discussed.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of some of the advanced cell culture method‐ ologies and applications. It serves a valuable source for scientists, researchers, clinicians and students.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge all the authors who contributed with their valid chap‐ ters in this book. My special thanks and appreciation go to Ms. Kristina Kardum, Author Service Manager at IntechOpen, the world's leading publisher of Open Access books, built by scientists, for scientists.

> **Radwa Mehanna** Faculty of Medicine Alexandria University Alexandria, Egypt

**Section 1**

**Cell Culturing Techniques**
