Cell Culture
Table 1: Summary of the features of the 3D cell culture offerings discussed in this article 3D Vendor Company 3D Biotek BellBrook Labs BioTek CellASIC CELLnTEC Advanced Cell Systems ECACC/HPA Culture Collection Global Cell Solutions Glycosan Hamilton InSphero Kuraray QGel RealBio Technology RegeneMed Reinnervate Synthecon The Automation Partnership Tissue Growth Technologies √ Wells, well inserts √ √ Flow chamber Wells, well inserts Well inserts
√ √
√
√ √
Hanging drop Wells √ √ √
√ √ √ √
√ Microfluidic plate √
√ √
√ √
√ √
Microplate Based
√ √
Device Type Well insert Microfluidic plate
Biomimetic Scaffolds
√ √
3D Structural Scaffolds
√
√ √
3D Specific Culture Media
Facilitates Automation
T C
GravityPlus technology (InSphero) provides a means for high-throughput production of micro- tissues and for the automation of media exchange from hanging drops. The RAFT (Real Architecture for 3D Tissue) system (TAP) is a con- venient, simple-to-use semi-automated way of bringing greater scale-up and consistency to gen- erating tissue constructs by controlling compres- sion and incubation of collagen-based gels seeded with cells. It remains to be seen what impact these early attempts at automation will have on 3D cell culture and tissue generation, and whether any will be adopted to a large extent.
The need for more physiologically relevant replacements to current industry-standard animal and cell-based tests of efficacy and in vitro toxicolo-
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gy was highlighted by several vendors and 3D model systems of liver (hepatocytes), skin, cancer invasion, vaginal, bladder and airways are beginning to be developed to meet this need (BellBrooks Labs, CellASIC, CELLnTEC, InSphero, RegeneMed, Reinnervate, TAP). We also report on a device that may be used to stimulate the growth of tissue engi- neered skin or to act as a test bed for drug and cos- metic development (Tissue Growth Technologies) and a culture system with a flow chamber that utilises a 3D matrix to support culture development and incorporation of normal tissue organisation (RealBio).
Stem cells are the prime application focus of 3D cell culture. This is partly because the in vivo microenvironment is believed to play a key role in
Drug Discovery World Summer 2010
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