Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture provides an artificially created micro-environment for optimal cell growth, differentiation and function, and the ability to create tissue-like constructs in vitro. 3D cell culture allows individual cells to maintain their normal 3D shape, structure and function with minimal exogenous support and interference. Cells form complex interactions with adjacent cells and receive and transmit signals. 3D cell culture techniques reduce the gap between in vitro culture and the physiological environment. In vitro models based on 3D culture are closer to animal models in many aspects. And, assays using 3D-cultured cells are rapid, cost-effective, versatile, and easily reproducible compared to cost-intensive animal models. To meet the growing demand, various advanced 3D cell culture methods have been developed, which are generally divided into scaffold-free and scaffold-based culture.
Scaffolds formed from natural and/or synthetic materials play an important role in constructing the artificial in vivo-like environment and inducing specific morphological and physiological behaviors of cultured cells. Scaffolds based on natural biomaterials such as collagen, hyaluronic acid, gelatin, and alginate are inherently biocompatible and bioactive with the myriad of endogenous factors. Synthetic scaffolds with a definite chemical composition can achieve reproducibility, inertia, non-degradability, and tunable degradability that are not possible in naturally derived biomaterials. In scaffold-based 3D cell culture systems, cells are seeded on scaffolds, where the cells attach and colonize. In the scaffold-free systems, cell culture does not rely on solid supports. Scaffold-free 3D culture systems promote the formation of multi-cellular aggregates, which are often referred to as spheroids. The spherical geometry closely resembles the structural and physiological environment of some tumor types, making it relatively easy to model dynamic processes of solid tumors. In addition, the integration of scaffold-free cell culture with microfluidics technology allows the biofabrication of more complex types of spheroids. Microfluidic technology also known as lab-on-a-chip (LOC) allows spatial control of fluids in micron-sized channels, and the application of this technology to 3D culture can improve the physiological relevance of 3D cell models.
3D cell culture has been widely applied in differentiation studies, drug discovery, cancer research, gene and protein expression studies, and cellular physiological studies. Amerigo Scientific offers a variety of simple and high-performance 3D cell culture systems, such as ready to use solid scaffold-based bioreactors, scaffold-free culture plates to produce highly standardized cell spheres, microfluidic chips with high compatibility, and 3D adipocyte micro-physiological systems. Each 3D cell culture system comes with a unique set of advantages that can be selected depending on the desired research. We also provide high-quality biomaterials for 3D culture, such as hydrogels, collagens, and laminins.
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