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High Throughput, Polymeric Aqueous Two-Phase Printing Of Tumor Spheroids, Ehsan Atefi, Stephanie Lemmo, Darcy Fyffe, Gary Luker, Hossein Tavana

Hossein Tavana

This paper presents a new 3D culture microtechnology for high throughput production of tumor spheroids and validates its utility for screening anti-cancer drugs. Two immiscible polymeric aqueous solutions are used and a submicroliter drop of the “patterning” phase containing cells is microprinted into a bath of the “immersion” phase. Selecting proper formulations of biphasic systems using a panel of biocompatible polymers results in the formation of a round drop that confines cells to facilitate spontaneous formation of a spheroid without any external stimuli. Adapting this approach to robotic tools enables straightforward generation and maintenance of spheroids of well-defined size in …