Please introduce yourself; tell us about SEED Biosciences and your role as the Product Manager.
My name is Charlotte Broennimann. I hold an Engineering degree in Regenerative Medicine from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). I am currently the Product Manager at SEED Biosciences, a biotechnology company specializing in developing innovative technologies for single-particle isolation and dispensing.
Our ambition is to set new standards in single-cell biology to accelerate the translation of precision medicine from research to personalized therapies. At SEED Biosciences, our goal is to simplify and democratize access to single-particle technologies, enabling researchers to perform high-precision experiments with greater ease and efficiency and tackle challenges in drug discovery, personalized diagnostics and medicine, gene and cell therapies, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.
SEED Biosciences recently launched its new product, Dispen3D, a single spheroid and organoid dispenser. Can you provide an overview of Dispen3D and explain why it is a significant advancement for researchers in cell culture techniques?
Dispen3D is an innovative single-particle dispenser that revolutionizes handling 3D cellular models. Intuitive and compact, it has been designed for fast, gentle, and traceable single-particle isolation and dispensing.
Using impedance-based dispensing technology together with advanced data analysis software, Dispen3D stands out as an ideal platform for precisely selecting and isolating individual spheroids, organoids, and tumoroids. It is a game-changer in drug screening and various other applications, marking a transition away from conventional animal models to advanced 3D models.
This innovative platform expands our range of single-cell dispensing solutions, allowing for the isolation and manipulation of cellular aggregates, encompassing spheroids, organoids, and tumoroids.
Image Credit: SEED Biosciences
What are the key benefits of Dispen3D that make it stand out from other products in the market?
Dispen3D is an intuitive and compact pipetting solution that allows scientists to isolate single spheroids and organoids three times faster and costs 10 times less than solutions currently on the market. The market opportunity for organoids and spheroids is significant and rapidly expanding.
These three-dimensional cellular structures, mimicking the complexity of human tissues more closely than traditional two-dimensional cell cultures, offer immense potential in various fields such as drug discovery, personalized medicine, and regenerative medicine.
Given their inherent clinical significance, 3D models such as spheroids and organoids are gaining importance. However, accessible solutions for manipulating and isolating them remain limited. Achieving consistent assay outcomes necessitates the capability to pre-select spheroids based on their size, shape, and internal structure and isolate them in all sorts of plates.
Currently, the industry standard for handling organoids and spheroids involves manual processes that are cumbersome and not very efficient in throughput, hardly reproducible and slow. On the other hand, complex, specialized equipment may not be readily accessible or scalable and is highly expensive. What sets Dispen3D apart is its ability to democratize access to advanced cell culture techniques.
Dispen3D provides a user-friendly and versatile platform that enables researchers across various disciplines to harness the power of organoids and spheroids without requiring extensive or specialized equipment.
The introduction of Dispen3D marks a groundbreaking shift in this landscape. It allows scientists to isolate spheroids and organoids efficiently, reliably, and cost-effectively in a plug-and-play manner, thus gaining considerable time and money.
How does Dispen3D integrate with existing laboratory workflows, and what advantages does this integration offer to researchers?
Dispen3D is designed to be compatible with a wide range of existing laboratory equipment, such as imaging systems, microplate readers, and automated workstations. This ensures that labs do not need to overhaul their existing setups to incorporate the technology. The software controlling Dispen3D often comes with APIs and drivers that can interface with popular laboratory management systems and automation software.
This enables seamless data exchange and process synchronization. Its compatibility with the H2O2 sterilization process, ergonomic design, and traceable data allow Dispen3D to integrate smoothly into highly regulated industrial GMP workflows. Dispen3D enhances laboratory workflows by providing precise, efficient, and reliable liquid handling capabilities.
Its integration with existing lab equipment and software, combined with its numerous advantages, supports researchers in achieving high-quality, reproducible results while saving time and resources.
One of Dispen3D’s highlighted benefits is its automation capability. How does this feature contribute to the efficiency and reliability of isolating large particles?
Unlike traditional methods, which may be labor-intensive and prone to inconsistencies, Dispen3D offers precise, automated dispensing of cellular aggregates.
This level of automation increases efficiency and reduces the potential for human error, ensuring reproducibility and reliability in experimental results.
Precision is crucial in scientific research. How does Dispen3D ensure versatile isolation and provide unambiguous proof of monoclonality?
Dispen3D ensures versatile isolation and unambiguous proof of monoclonality through a combination of precise dispensing technology, advanced detection, single particle traceability capabilities, and rigorous documentation. By leveraging these advanced features, Dispen3D supports researchers in achieving high standards of precision and reliability, which are crucial for scientific research.
Dispen3D is fitted with a sensing tip that acts as a Coulter counter. Particles that pass through the Coulter aperture to flow into the well leave electrical signatures that appear as peaks and are immediately recorded.
A single unique peak indicates that there is only one particle in the well — several peaks mean multiple cells and a small peak is a mark of debris. Dispen3D’s tip is disposable, which ensures no cross-contamination.
Another major advantage mentioned is reproducibility. Can you discuss how Dispen3D helps reduce human error and ensures reliability in the research process?
Automated dispensing ensures that every sample is treated identically, enhancing experiment reproducibility. This is particularly important for validation and regulatory compliance in research and development. By automating the liquid handling process, Dispen3D reduces the potential for human error, leading to more reliable data.
Inconsistent handling of spheroids can lead to variability in experimental results. Ensuring that spheroids are handled gently and consistently is important for reproducibility and reliability of data.
Can you share any success stories or case studies where Dispen3D has significantly impacted research outcomes?
Spheroids offer several advantages over traditional 2D cultures, including better mimicking the in vivo environment of tissues. In recent years, it has become evident that spheroids are indispensable tools for both research and industry.
While structurally simple, high-throughput (HTP) production of spheroids for drug screening can be a challenge. Indeed, the commonly used processes can be labor-intensive and often lead to heterogeneous spheroids. This and the difficulty of seeding a single sphere per well hinder robust drug screening.
Thanks to microfluidics instruments from Live Drop, a specialist of droplet biology, and the SEED Biosciences Dispen3D dispenser, highly homogenous spheroids of the desired size can easily be manufactured at high speed and precisely seeded down to one spheroid per well. This collaborative work introduces a robust approach to efficiently producing and then isolating single homogeneous miniaturized spheroids.
The LiveDrop OneFlow is capable of generating 20,000 spheroids in just 10 minutes, while the Dispen3D can then seed these spheroids individually into wells at a rate of less than 7 minutes per 96-well plate.
The incubation of cells in nanoliter-scale droplets promotes cell contact, facilitating cell aggregation and accelerating spheroid formation. The Dispen3D’s automated peak analyzer ensured a controlled seeding of the spheres with > 90% reliability, demonstrating the instrument’s robustness. The Dispen3D software reports provide the time per plate, the number of elements seeded per plate, and the plate-filling rate.
Thanks to its robustness and simplicity, this unique workflow has the potential to explore new therapeutics and personalized medicine applications reliably.
Looking ahead, what are SEED Biosciences’ plans for further innovations or improvements to the Dispen3D or other products in your lineup?
SEED Biosciences is focused on continuous innovation and improvement. By enhancing Dispen3D with advanced automation, facilitated workflow integration, and expanded capabilities; SEED Biosciences aims to remain at the forefront of scientific research and technological advancement.
Strategic collaborations and partnerships will further support SEED Biosciences’ mission to drive progress in biotechnology and life sciences, ultimately leading to significant improvements in research outcomes and clinical applications.
On a personal note, what excites you the most about the advancements Dispen3D brings to the field of cell culture techniques?
The advancements brought by Dispen3D in cell culture techniques are exciting because they fundamentally improve the precision, efficiency, reproducibility, and versatility of laboratory workflows.
These improvements enhance the quality and reliability of research and enable new and innovative approaches to studying and manipulating cells. For researchers, these advancements represent a significant step forward in their ability to conduct cutting-edge research and make impactful scientific discoveries.
Where can readers find more information?
About Charlotte Broennimann
Charlotte Broennimann holds an Engineering degree in Regenerative Medicine from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).
She has 7+ years of experience in microfluidics and impedance technology for single-cell isolation techniques. She conducted her research project, “Microfluidic generation of bilayered human mammary epithelial ducts,” at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, gaining invaluable experience in 3D cell culture technology and cancer Biology.
After 5 years’ experience in Business Development and Strategy, Charlotte is Product Manager at SEED Biosciences, an innovative Swiss company that provides single-particle isolation solutions to tackle challenges in drug discovery, personalized diagnostics and medicine, gene and cell therapies, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.