title: Formation and manipulation of cell spheroids using a density adjusted PEG/DEX aqueous two phase system.
abstract: Various spheroid formation techniques have been widely developed for efficient and reliable 3-D cell culture research. Although those efforts improved many aspects of spheroid generation, the procedures became complex and also required unusual laboratory equipment. Many recent techniques still involve laborious pipetting steps for spheroid manipulation such as collection, distribution and reseeding. In this report, we used a density-controlled polyethylene glycol and dextran aqueous two phase system to generate spheroids that are both consistent in size and precisely size-controllable. Moreover, by adding a few drops of fresh medium to the wells the contain spheroids, they can be simply settled and attached to the culture surface due to reduced densities of the phases. This unique attribute of the technique significantly reduces the numerous pipetting steps of spheroid manipulation to a single pipetting; therefore, the errors from those steps are eliminated and the reliability and efficiency of a research can be maximized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeong-buk, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chungmin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeong-buk, Republic of Korea [2] School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeong-buk, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jaesung
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D048429:Cell Size; D002470:Cell Survival; D003911:Dextrans / Q000737:chemistry*; D058732:Embryoid Bodies / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D051379:Mice; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry*; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular / Q000166:cytology*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D003911:Dextrans; D014867:Water; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols