Spheroid cultures have emerged as valuable tools in pharmacological and cancer research, offering a more physiologically relevant in vitro model than traditional monolayer cell cultures. These three-dimensional cellular aggregates mimic the intricate microenvironment of tumors more accurately, enabling researchers to study complex cellular interactions, drug penetration, responses, and the tumor's biology. In pharmacological research, spheroid cultures serve as a robust drug screening and testing platform, providing insights into drug efficacy, toxicity, and potential side effects within a more representative context. The SpheroMaker system automates several aspects of producing and culturing spheroids in a hanging drop environment.
In the SpheroMaker system, spheroids are cultivated within 96-well plates through the hanging drop culture method, utilizing specialized inserts equipped with hydrophobic capillaries. These cultures can be consistently maintained for up to one week or possibly longer. Depending on their size, spheroids and their respective droplets can remain within the incubator environment for extended periods, even over weekends, with incubation times of up to 72 hours.
Accessing the droplets for media replenishment or removal is facilitated through a syringe needle moved by an automated robotic system.
The development and behavior of the spheroids can be conveniently monitored through optical observation using an inverted microscope equipped with a low-power (4x) objective lens. The harvested aggregates can be transferred into the designated wells after the hanging drop culture process, simplifying the subsequent research steps.
