Lonza to Expand the Availability of the RAFT™ 3D Cell Culture System

Lonza has announced that it has reached an exclusive agreement with TAP Biosystems, part of the Stedim Biotech Group, to distribute the company’s RAFT™ (Real Architecture For 3D Tissue) 3D Cell Culture System. The RAFT™ System uses a patented absorber technology to create cell layers in high-density collagen that mimic the in vivo environment. This system enables researchers to generate more biologically meaningful data from their cell culture studies.

The versatile RAFT™ Kit is available in a number of formats and is appropriate for analysis using a wide variety of imaging, biochemical and histological techniques. In combination with Lonza’s human primary cells and media solutions, the RAFT™ 3D Cell Culture System empowers researchers to create physiologically relevant cell culture models for use across drug discovery and research applications.

Benefits of the RAFT™ 3D Cell Culture System

The RAFT™ 3D Cell Culture System has been designed with simple, easy-to-follow protocols that allow researchers to set up 3D cell cultures in under an hour. The RAFT™ Kit includes a collagen type I solution and biocompatible absorbers, which remove the medium from cell-seeded collagen hydrogels and allow researchers to control both cell concentration and matrix density. RAFT™ 3D Cell Culture System is a flexible system that supports a variety of formats including 24-well, 96-well and insert-well.

The key differentiation of the RAFT™ System from other platforms is its versatility. This system can be utilized with one cell type, or multiple cell types in parallel. Cells can be cultured within the collagen scaffold, or on top, or both. The addition of permeable membrane cell culture inserts provides other extensions to the system, allowing the generation of barrier models including air-lift models. Furthermore, the system is compatible with a variety of cell types and has already been used to successfully generate 3D cultures in a number of research areas, including oncology, toxicology and neuroscience

Lubna Hussain, Senior Product Manager for Lonza Bioscience Solutions, commented: “Using the RAFT™ 3D Cell Culture System, cells grown in 3D culture are surrounded by a high-density collagen matrix that is more representative of an in vivo environment when compared to traditional 2D or suspension cultures. This approach allows for the formation of complex models and facilitates an improved understanding of cellular growth, differentiation and cell-to-cell interactions.”

She added, “The RAFT™ System is a truly powerful system that offers many benefits and advantages over other 3D platforms due to its novel approach, and our team at Lonza is proud to add it to our portfolio of high-performing cell biology products. Used in combination, these products allow researchers to delve even deeper into cellular biology in the pursuit of insight and discovery.”