Cells grow and differentiate naturally in a three-dimensional environment. The use of 3D cell cultures can almost perfectly emulate the physiology of the cells in vivo. Nonetheless, scientists still have fundamental problems with the reproducibility of their experiments. The Sphericalplate 5D allows a standardised 3D cell culture and thus offers a springboard into the future of the cell culture.
The era of the simple 2D cell culture is coming to an end. To ensure a realistic picture of cell physiology, the spatial orientation of the cells, as well as unhindered gene expression, a three-dimensional cell culture is needed. These “new” realistic cell culture models make it possible to reflect the in vivo situation as accurately as possible and to better transfer the experimental results to the organism. With the aid of hydrogels or hanging drops, the cells form spheroids which demonstrate organ-like behaviour and provide more meaningful results through direct interactions (cell-cell interaction).
The fundamental problem of regenerative research and 3D cell culture is poor reproducibility. The spheroids grow in an uncontrolled manner into clusters in a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Incorrect cell differentiation then leads to changes in the gene expression and thus to the loss of “realistic” results. Differentiation studies on stem cells have shown that the shape of the cell culture, the cluster size, and the cell culture surface are crucial for the communication between stem cells and their differentiation. It is therefore necessary to create spheroids of a homogeneous and reproducible size.
The Sphericalplate 5D makes such a standardised 3D stem cell culture possible and reduces time, waste, and costs. The 24-well plate contains 750 microtiter basins per well with rounded bottoms. The special, patented geometry promotes spheroid formation and prevents the deposition of cells in other areas. An additional nano coating allows perfect cell aggregation.
The Sphericalplate 5D enables scalable, reliable, and safe use of the 3D stem cell differentiation and management. In addition, the 24-well plate contains 12 wells for two-dimensional monolayer cell culture systems. This provides the unique opportunity to directly compare both systems in one plate.
The Sphericalplate 5D is also optimized for microscopic applications. The plate is coated with COC (cycloolefin copolymer) which ensures optimal imaging properties. The plate is manufactured without the use of PS plastic since it can lead to significant background luminescence. Thanks to the particularly good microscopic properties, the effect of medications on spheroids can be conducted directly in the plate using fluorescence detection. There is no need to transfer the spheroids to a suitable plate and this simplifies use.
The user friendliness is another plus of the Sphericalplate 5D. The cell suspension is simply pipetted into the Sphericalplate 5D and then incubated. You have now arrived at the future of the cell culture. Dare to enter the world of three-dimensional cell culture with the Sphericalplate 5D.
References: www.kugelmeiers.com / www.sp5d.com