When did 3D cell culture start being used?

The first tissue culture was carried out by Ross Granville Harrison (1870-1959) by adapting the hanging drop method from bacteriology. This paved the way for further studies in a wide range of research fields including embryology, genetics, oncology, and virology.

In the early 1980s Mina Bissel, a lead researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and her team pioneered various 3D culturing techniques while performing studies on the importance of extracellular matrices in cell behavior. Since then, Mina has set up her own lab where she and her team continue to develop and improve 3D techniques, particularly in the discovery and treatment of cancer cells. 

Today, 3D cell culture techniques are increasingly being used for a variety of applications in drug discovery.