| Model |
Method |
Description |
| Multicellular
spheroid |
|
Spherical aggregate of cells in static or stirred
suspension culture |
| |
Spontaneous
aggregation
Liquid-overlay |
A small number of cell types forms clusters
rather than strict spheroids Cells cultured on
the surface of an agarose gel matrix which
blocks attachment of the cells |
| |
Microcarrier
beads |
Beads support aggregation of attached
dependent cells to form pseudo-spheroids in
gyratory and spinner flasks |
| |
Spinner flask |
Greater quantities of spheroids can be
cultivated in suspension than in liquid-overlay
cultures |
| |
Gyratory shaker |
Cell suspensions in Erlenmeyer flasks
containing a specific amount of medium are
rotated in a gyratory rotation incubator |
| |
Rotary cell
culture |
The low shear environment provides an
advantage over static and stirred cultures,
allowing cells to aggregate, grow like 3D
structure and differentiate |
| Cellular
multilayer |
|
Layers of cells cultured on top of a porous
membrane |
| Scaffoldbased
culture |
|
Cells cultured in synthetic 3D-simulating
matrices |
| Hollow-fiber
bioreactor |
|
Cells cultured within a network of perfused
artificial capillaries |