The SpheroOne large-particle sorter and dispenser (Photo courtesy of BICO Group]
BICO Group subsidiaries Scienion and Cellenion today announced the launch of their SpheroOne single large-particle sorter and dispenser for drug testing using complex in-vitro 3D models.
The SpheroOne platform can dispense individual spheroids, organoids and tumoroids, handling cellular aggregates ranging from 80 µm to 600 µm and complementing Cellenion’s CellenOne platform for sorting and dispensing single cells (ranging from 0.5 µm to 80 µm), the companies said in a news release.
“Current offerings suffer from low throughput, inconsistent sorting and intensive manual dispensing,” Cellenion founder and Managing Director Guilhem Tourniaire said in the news release. “SpheroOne is going to play a significant role toward replacing animal models in pre-clinical research as it allows automated sorting, enables development of higher quality and yield models, and improves outcome of 3D cell assays.”
The SpheroOne platform uses Scienion’s SciDrop Nano precision dispensing technology combined with advanced image-based capabilities, the companies said. Electromagnetic microvalve technology allows for gentle drop-on-demand generation in air, ensuring maintenance of the integrity and viability of fragile cellular aggregates.
The SpheroOne large-particle sorter and dispenser (Photo courtesy of BICO Group]
The companies list SpheroOne’s other key features as: up to 100% accurate automated isolation of single cellular aggregates using morphology and fluorescence-based sorting; controlled biomass via user-defined parameters for high-quality toxicological assays; and streamlined drug screening on bulk-grown spheroids, reducing labor and enabling standardized 3D model-based assays.
BICO Group (formerly known as Cellink Life Sciences) is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and has a fast-growing second HQ in Boston. Berlin, Germany-based Scienion was founded in 2001 and acquired by BICO in 2020. The acquisition included Cellenion, which was spun off as a Scienion subsidiary in 2016 in Lyon, France.
Earlier this month, BICO recently announced its $71 million acquisition of QInstruments, followed by BICO subsidiary Cytena’s launch of the C.Station platform for automating the development of stable cell lines.