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3D cell culture  tips

If you are new to 3D cell cultures, we offer some tips to get you started.

Getting started

1. If you are new to 3D cultures, and are unsure if they will be useful for your research, we provide resources to help you get decide.  Feel free to access a list of peer reviewed publications reviewing advances on 3D cultures, and studies comparing 2D vs. 3D cultures.

 

2. To learn how about establish 3D cultures, read peer reviewed literature and watch videos. We have provided some references on protocols to help you get started.

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3. 3D cultures may be conducted in 96 well plates or smaller for increased efficiency.

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4. Decide what matrix you want to use to establish 3D cultures. This will depend on the cell type that you are culturing and what question(s) you are trying to ask. Rat tail collagen and Matrigel are commonly used matrices.

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5. You can obtain data from 3D cultures by analyzing cell morphology over time by microscopy, biomarker staining through immunocytochemistry/ immunofluoresence approaches or isolating cells from matrix for protein, DNA or RNA analysis.  You can also harvest conditioned medium for analysis of secreted factors.  

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