Fig. 1

Improved cell kill with combined cancer therapy. a Multicellular spheroid is a three-dimensional in vitro tissue structure that can better approximate the complex heterogeneous in vivo tumour microenvironment. This includes modelling the ECM, which has a proliferation zone on the outer edge of the spheroid, a quiescent zone in the middle of the spheroid, where the cancer does not grow effectively, and possible necrotic core, where the cells lack the nutrients to survive due to the concentration gradient and are either hypoxic or are dead. b With the addition of GNPs and DTX, the cancer cells become more sensitized to radiation, and we see an improved cell kill response. This occurs even in clinically relevant 6 MV radiation