A 3D InSight™ into Drug Discovery with Tecan’s Infinite® M200 PRO

15 Jul 2013
Kerry Parker
CEO

Product news

A novel solution for analyzing 3D cell cultures, based on Tecan’s Infinite® M200 PRO and InSphero’s 3D InSight™ microtissue technology, is helping to reduce the cost of early phase drug development.


Dr Jens M Kelm, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of InSphero, explained: “Although classical 2D cell culture techniques are still widely used throughout the pharmaceutical industry, their limitations are becoming increasingly apparent. The efficacy of a candidate drug depends on a number of factors, including the physical and chemical environments in vivo, drug penetration and clearance rates. 2D cell cultures do not accurately reflect how all of these factors will affect drug behavior in vivo; 3D cell culturing techniques offer greater biological relevance for drug screening.”

“The GravityTRAP™ plate allows straightforward use of hanging drop cultures into ANSI/SLAS format microplates, permitting the use of automated liquid handling systems and standard format microplate readers, such as the Infinite M200 PRO multimode reader. This instrument’s bottom reading optics are a good match for the conical well design of the plate – allowing the entire well to be scanned at once, without the need for multiple acquisitions at different points across each well – and the system’s multiple reading modes provide a lot of flexibility in terms of the assay reporter mechanisms which can be employed,” concluded Dr Kelm.

To find out more on Tecan’s Infinite 200 PRO multimode readers, visit www.tecan.com/infinite200pro/
To find out more on InSphero’s 3D InSight™ microtissue technology, visit www.insphero.com/




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MicroplatesMicroplates are multi-well plates used to increase the throughput of biological investigations. The number of wells microplates contain can range from 6 to 3243 wells, with the 96-well format being the most commonly used. Microplates can come tailored for a range of applications including cell culture, PCR, filtration, storage, non-binding surface, protein crystallization, as well as pre-coated, deep well and normal Standard microplates. Additionally, options for microplate colors include clear , black, white or black with clear bottom and white with clear bottom for absorbance microplate reader applications. Find the best microplates for your lab in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.High-Throughput ScreeningHigh-throughput screening (HTS) is an automated drug discovery technique for identification of active compounds against a compound library. Use HTS readers and integrated assay preparation / analysis workstations to screen your compounds. Identify active compounds against various HTS libraries, including membranes, proteins and peptides and HTS cell lines. Find the best high-throughput screening products in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Cell-Based AssaysCell-based assays are used to monitor the presence, quantity and activities of a desired cellular analyte including drug molecules or biomarkers. This can reveal information on cell health (apoptosis, cytotoxicity, viability and proliferation assays), cell metabolism, cell migration and cell signaling mechanisms. Find the best cell-based assay products, kits and equipment with our peer reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receiving pricing direct from manufacturers.Cell / Tissue CultureCell culture or tissue culture is used to study the biology of cells or tissues and to isolate cellular products in an environment which can be manipulated and well defined. Accurately control your culture environment with bioreactors or culture incubators, bind your cells to a surface or together with an extracellular matrix. Distinguish cell types with differential media or proliferate cells with certain characteristics using selective media. Enrich your media with supplements such as growth factors, sera and vitamins. Find the best cell and tissue culture products, kits and equipment in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Compound ScreeningCompound screening is a method used to discover specific compounds that could be promising candidates for pharmaceutical use. This potential is identified when compounds interact with the target protein during screening and could therefore be carried forward in the drug development process.
A 3D InSight™ into Drug Discovery with Tecan’s Infinite® M200 PRO