Overview

This poster is about a new method combining a UV-based device and a specific photopolymerization reagent that allows to structure hydrogels in order to make very reproducible spheroids and organoids in a very controlled manner.

Introduction

The existing fabrication protocols of 3D cell aggregates is very limited when it comes to reproducibility, control of the shape and size of the aggregates, and compatibility with microfluidic devices.

Methods

To overcome this issue, we developed protocols combining a UV-based device, PRIMO, and a specific photopolymerization reagent, HyPE, that allows to structure non-adhesive hydrogels in order to make very reproducible spheroids and organoids in a very controlled manner.

Results

We explain the protocol to create complex hydrogels structures and how we can control the height of the structures with the local UV dose. We then give 5 examples of applications of this technology for high throughput drug screening and personalized medicine, control of the shape of organoids, formation of 3D cell aggregates in situ in microfluidic devices and structures of biological hydrogels for complex 3D cellular models.

Conclusion

We show that the combination of Primo and HyPE is a very powerful tool that allows to control the shape and size of 3D cell aggregates. It allows a good reproducibility, good throughput and also to work in closed environments like microfluidic channels.