THE FIRST commercial shipments of Alvetex Scaffold 96 well plates, which facilitate the growth of cell structures in 3D, were made in mid-December 2012 says Reinnervate.
“The pent-up demand for Alvetex Scaffold in a 96 well format meant we immediately received orders from several pharmaceutical customers and an oncology-focused clinical research organisation”, commented the company’s commercial director Richard Rowling.
The plates enable scientists to grow tumour cells in a way that better mimics real life, is a 3D arrangement rather than the 2D sheets of earlier cell growth technologies.
This simplifies testing for any cytotoxic effects of anti-cancer compounds using standard cell health assays. With this information, RNA and proteins can be retrieved in order to study cytotoxicity mechanisms and to identify relevant biomarkers.
Reinnervate says tests have shown that the Alvetex Scaffold 96 well plates work seamlessly with automated platforms such as the Tecan Evo 200.