Spheroid Characteristics

The individual cells in vivo will experience different exposure to nutrients, oxygen, CO2 oxygen and bile salts. Below is displayed a drawing of these characteristics for a liver.

Spheroids formed in the CelVivo system will after approximately 3 weeks act like cells in vivo and have developed ultrastructure which resembles tissue. The cells will have the same characteristics as the cells in vivo.

The spheroids have not only gained functionality of in vivo conditions but also developed architecture and structure as such. This is exemplified in this electron microscope picture.

In order for any model to be truly beneficial the model needs to be reproducible. Spheroids grown in our system has s very high reproducibility. The fact that the high reproducibility together with unmatched correlation with in vivo behavior of spheroids grown in our system makes them the ideal models of tissue.

Lipid droplets, M Mitochondria, RER Rough endoplasmic, reticulum, N Nucleus, TJ tight junctions

BC Bile canaliculus-like channel, G Glycogen granules, SC Sinusoidal-like channel

SPHEROIDS Characteristics
For HepG2-C3A – values for other cell lines will be different
Number of cells per spheroid (± 22%)
  • Day 8 = 23,156
  • Day 21 = 82,342
  • Media can be collected via one of the two ports
Spheroid size
(Planimetric surface)
  • Day 8 = 0.26 mm²
  • Day 21 = 0.58 mm²
Protein concentration
  • Day 8 = 21.71 µg/ mm²
  • Day 21 = 43.28 µg/ mm²
ATP concentration
  • Day 8 = 9.23 µM/ mm²
  • Day 21 = 8.93 µM/ mm²
Bioreactor soluble protein content
  • Day 8 = 2,010 µg
  • Day 21 = 10,120 µg*
    * the culture will have been split into 4 bioreactors at this stage