Easily Automated 3D Cell Culture Growth with Mimetix® 3D Cell Culture Scaffolds

AMSBIO has announced the launch of Mimetix® 3D cell culture scaffolds that offer significant advantages for a range of applications including regenerative medicine, oncology research, drug discovery, and as a unique aligned scaffold for neural growth and investigation.

There is a definite need for more predictive in vitro efficacy assays to reduce both the number of costly drug failures in clinical trials and the number of animals used in pre-clinical testing. Performing certain cell-based assays in 3D has proven to improve their relevance as models; however, when choosing support for the cell culture growth, important factors to consider are: reproducibility of the environment, similarity to the real-life conditions, ease of handling, applicability to High Throughput Screening / High Content Screening as well as ability to monitor cell morphology and behavior using multiple readouts.

Compatible with automated handling and imaging equipment, Mimetix® scaffold is incorporated into standard ANSI / SLAS footprint microplate frames (6-, 12-, 96- and 384-well) with superior optical clarity and minimal base distortion. The scaffold depth of 50 µm is thick enough to provide the benefits of 3D cell culture, yet thin enough to allow fluorescent and light microscopic imaging. Mimetix® has been validated with number of primary cells, cell lines and stem cells (e.g. formation of myelin sheets in oligodendrocyte culture and long-term expression of metabolic functions by Hep G2 liver cancer cells).

Mimetix® scaffolds mimic the extracellular matrix by providing an ideal architectural environment to support the growth of cells in 3D. Mimetix® scaffolds are free from animal-derived products and are created by electrospinning medical-grade polymer poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) into microfibres, which are highly consistent with regard to fibre diameter and pore size, which results in excellent reproducibility of cell-based assays. In addition to standard formats, AMSBIO offers a custom service to provide different Mimetix® scaffold shape, composition, thickness, fibre diameter and pore size to optimally suit your application. Possibility of scaffold customization enables use of biodegradable and regulatory friendly components if desired.