Abstract

Versatile and High Throughput 3D Single Cell Culture

Thomas Ayers, Sr. Technical Applications Specialist, Dolomite Bio

Single cells suspended in predictably sized hydrogel spheres represent a potential starting point for a variety of diverse workflows. From 3D tissue seeding to flow cytometry of single cells and their microenvironments. However, the production of single cells embedded in hydrogel beads is slow without the use of precision microfluidic devices.
 
Here we report a flexible and high-throughput droplet-based microfluidics system, called the Nadia Innovate system, that enables the controlled capture of up to 600,000 single cells in picolitre volume hydrogel beads in a single run. Designed specifically for use in biological and single cell applications, the Nadia Innovate can use modifiable pressure parameters, onboard temperature control and variable on-chip stirring to encapsulate cells in a variety of substrates. We also explain how coencapsulation of more than one cell type in agarose spheres can be the basis for longitudinal studies of single cell-cell interactions.