A 3D scaffold (3-dimensional scaffold) is comprised of a biocompatible polymer. The 3D scaffold includes a recess that is open towards the top side of the 3D scaffold as a colonization chamber for biological cells, a canal-type vessel, which at least partially surrounds the colonization chamber, a filling opening for the canal-type vessel, and an outlet opening for the canal-type vessel. A production method for the 3D scaffold is also provided and the 3D scaffold is used for colonizing the colonization chamber with biological cells.

An in vitro three-dimensional multicellular system for maintaining tissue such as heart tissue (e.g. human or other animal heart slices) under physiological conditions is provided. Heart tissue that is cultured using the system remains full viable and functional for at least 6 days. The system is thus suitable to continuously monitor the effects of drugs (e.g. cardiotoxicity) during in vitro testing.

A cell culturing system includes a docking station, a handling unit, a culturing module and an actuation layer. The culturing module has a culturing well and a culturing membrane separating the culturing well in an apical culturing chamber and a basal culturing chamber. The handling unit removably accommodates the culturing module and the actuation layer. The docking station has a coupling structure for removably holding the handling unit in a predefined position and an actuation feeding channel, wherein, when the handling unit is held by the coupling structure in the predefined position, a first end of the actuation feeding channel is connected to the actuation bore and a second end of the actuation feeding channel is connected to a connector.

A test vessel includes one or more test locations configured to contain a medium suitable for culturing a live substance. A thermochromic material is thermally coupled to the one or more test locations. The thermochromic material is configured to exhibit a spectral shift in light emanating from the thermochromic material in response to an increase or decrease in energy conversion by the live substance that causes a change in temperature of the thermochromic material.

Various cardio tissue testing wells with an actuable attachment structure therein, and testing systems incorporating such wells therein. The various well embodiments can include an actuable attachment structure that is actuated by external energy, such as a magnetic field, fluidic pressure, or electrical actuation. The various system embodiments can include a controller, a power source, and a testing plate containing a plurality of wells, wherein each well includes an actuable attachment structure.

Provided herein are systems and methods for electrically stimulating cultured cells, including cardiomyocytes. In particular, provided herein are systems and methods employing reusable electrode arrays with multiwell culture devices that provide electrical stimulation to cells that are cultured in individual wells of the devices. The technologies described may be used to stimulate cells for phenotype analysis.

The present invention relates to a method for assessing cell viability of bacterial and fungal cells and to a method for the detection of bacterial and fungal cells with specific enzyme activities. The methods of the present invention rely on the real-time measurement of the level of luminescence signal from a luciferase enzyme directly from a growing culture of bacterial or fungal cells. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for assessing susceptibility of bacterial cells to antibiotics by measuring ATP levels using a luciferase assay system.

Embodiments described herein relate generally to devices, apparatuses, and systems with embedded electrodes for rowing, maintaining, and/or using 3D tissues in vitro. The devices, apparatuses, and systems described herein can provide scalable, automated tissue stimulation.

A cell population (55) is cultured on a cell culture substrate (50) while agents contained in agent reservoirs (31, 33, 35) at predefined positions in a culture container (10) diffuse through the substrate (50) and form at least partly overlapping concentration gradients in the substrate (50) within combination areas (41, 43, 45) and substantially non-overlapping concentration gradients in the substrate (50) peripheral to an outer boundary of the agent reservoirs (31, 33, 35). Inhibition end points (61, 63, 65) of respective inhibition zones (60, 62, 64) substantially lacking any growth of the cell population (55) peripheral to the outer boundary of the agent reservoirs (31, 33, 35) and growth end points (71, 73, 75) of respective growth zones (70, 72, 74) comprising growth of the cell population (55) within the combination areas (41, 43, 45) are determined and used to determine interaction effects between the agents on the cell population (55).

The present disclosure provides a method of producing uniformly sized organoids/multicellular spheroids using a microfluidic device having an array of microwells. The method involves several successive steps. First, a microfluidic device containing parallel rows of microwells that are connected with a supplying channel is filled with a wetting agent. The wetting agent is a liquid that is immiscible in water. For example, the wetting agent may be an organic liquid such as oil. In the next step, the agent in the supplying channel and the microwells is replaced with a suspension of cells in an aqueous solution that contains a precursor for a hydrogel. Next, the aqueous phase in the supplying channel is replaced with the agent, which leads to the formation of an array of droplets of cell suspension in the hydrogel precursor solution, which were compartmentalized in the wells. The droplets are then transformed into cell-laden hydrogels. Subsequently, the agent in the supplying channel is replaced with the cell culture medium continuously flowing through the microfluidic device and the cells within the hydrogels are transformed into multicellular spheroids.