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An Improved Scalable Hydrogel Dish for Spheroid Culture
Jonard Corpuz Valdoz1, Dallin J Jacobs1, Collin G Cribbs1
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 2, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed a scalable hydrogel dish for creating multiple cell spheroids. This novel scaffold-free method offers tunable stiffness and improved imaging for cell mechanics research.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Cell Biology
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Cellular responses to mechanical forces and surface tension are critical in biological research.
- Existing cell culture tools often lack the necessary tunability for substrate stiffness.
- Standard methods for spheroid formation can be limiting for high-throughput studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel, scalable hydrogel dish for scaffold-free spheroid formation.
- To investigate the impact of tunable hydrogel stiffness on spheroid morphology and compaction.
- To provide a versatile platform for studying cell aggregates in various biological assays.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a scalable hydrogel dish with unique inner and outer wall design.
- Utilizing non-adherent hydrogels with varying stiffness for spheroid culture.
- Comparative analysis of spheroid morphology, viability, and compaction against commercial standards (Aggrewell™800).
- Demonstration of device functionality using an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) inhibitor migration assay.
- Culture of primary-derived spheroids from murine and porcine lung cells.
Main Results:
- The hydrogel dish design facilitates scaffold-free formation of multiple spheroids in a single plate.
- Non-adherent hydrogel stiffness significantly influences spheroid morphology and compaction.
- Spheroid morphology and viability were comparable to commercial Aggrewell™800 plates.
- The novel dish offers enhanced tunability of surface stiffness and imaging area.
- Successful maintenance of primary lung spheroids and demonstration of migration assay.
Conclusions:
- The developed hydrogel dish provides a tunable and scalable platform for generating consistent cell aggregates.
- This technology enhances the study of cellular responses to mechanical cues and surface tension.
- The system supports diverse downstream applications, including drug screening and disease modeling.
- Improved spheroid production capabilities advance research in cell mechanics and tissue engineering.
