Growing living human cells in vitro for basic research, drug discovery and reparative/regenerative medicine is challenged by the difficulty in developing methods for reproducibly and cost effectively growing large number of human cells in a way that represents in vivo cellular environment.  3D cell culture is a discipline that will ultimately replace 2D cell culture (culture performed on flat plastic surfaces) since the use of biologically relevant surfaces, substances, geometries, and stresses produces cells which more reliably express their in vivo phenotypes and physiology (PMIDs 12931155; 24912145).  Automation and robotics will be necessary to provide parallel and/or random access processing of many cell lines simultaneously so that they will better represent human physiology and meet the FDA’s evolving “good laboratory practice” (GLP) and “good manufacturing practice” (GMP) standards under development for cultured cells.  Automation and robotics will be developed in conjunction with new cell culture methods including the use of 3D technologies incorporating biomimetic substrates, xeno-free cell culture media, shear forces, and oxygen concentrations that more closely mimics the in vivo environment. The inherent design of our fully automated next generation 3D cell culture system will virtually eliminate cell misidentification, contamination and infection, while optimizing cell growth and phenotype in order to provide many industries, including the reparative/regenerative medical industries with the highest quality products.


Learning Objectives: 

1.  You will learn the advantages of automated 3D cell culture over conventional cell culture methods.
2.  What kinds of control systems will be employed to enable a robot to perform the complex and demanding tasks associated with human cell culture.