InSphero Contributes 3D Microtissue-based Assay Chapter to NCATS/NIH Assay Guidance Manual

InSphero AG, the leading supplier of easy-to-use solutions for production, culture, and assessment of organotypic 3D cell culture models, has contributed a chapter in the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Assay Guidance Manual, which describes best practices for adapting and standardizing high-throughput assays for use with 3D microtissues. The chapter, “In vitro 3D Spheroids and Microtissues: ATP-based Cell Viability and Toxicity Assays,” was co-authored by Dr. Monika Kijanska and Dr. Jens M. Kelm of InSphero, and appears in a 2016 update to the eBook published last week.

Dr. Terry Riss, Global Strategic Marketing Manager, Cell Health at Promega Corporation, and a contributing editor for the Assay Guidance Manual states, “The new chapter by Drs. Kijanska and Kelm provides expert guidance for scientists moving into the realm of using more physiologically relevant 3D cell culture model systems, and fills a long overdue gap in the content of the Assay Guidance Manual.”

Dr. Kelm, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of InSphero said, “It was an honor to lend our expertise to such a well-recognized and widely accepted reference guide for cell-based assay and screening communities. It’s a great example of open innovation.” The chapter addresses considerations for choosing an appropriate 3D model, provides guidance on selection of reagents and protocol adaptations proven to work in a 3D setting, and gives specific examples of cell viability and toxicity assay results obtained with InSphero 3D InSight™ Human Liver Microtissues and Tumor Microtissues.

Early iterations of the manual were created by staff researchers at Eli Lilly and Company, but content for the Assay Guidance Manual is currently edited by 19 researchers representing 11 institutions, including NCATS and Lilly. The manual provides guidelines for scientists in academic, non-profit, government and industrial research interested in developing assays useful in screening molecules that modulate biological targets, pathways, or cellular phenotypes. Such molecules may serve as candidates for development of novel drugs for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and rare genetic disorders.