Molecular Devices has opened an Organoid Innovation Centre at the company’s global headquarters in California. The centre expands beyond imaging to demonstrate an end-to-end solution that addresses challenges associated with the sample prep-to-report pipeline for assays performed on complex 3D biological models. On display are methods and technologies to test automated workflows for organoid culturing to deliver consistent, unbiased, biologically-relevant results at scale.
“3D model development and screening has limitless potential for drug discovery,” said Dan O’Connor, Vice President, Drug Discovery, Molecular Devices. “Our vision was to create an organoid testing facility with technology that overcomes many of the hurdles researchers face during the complex 3D cell culturing and screening process. By allowing real-time feedback on 3D model development and providing greater confidence with standardised, more consistent protocols with precise timing of each step in the process, we’ve removed significant barriers to allow shorter time to discovery, while eliminating errors.”
At the Organoid Innovation Centre, instruments enable autonomous, long-term, live cell 2D and 3D cell culture growth and monitoring with label-free imaging. This integrated workflow provides quality control alerts and readiness, 3D organoid screening, and deep learning image analysis. An intuitive scheduling software allows researchers to control the workflow remotely, tracking the cell journey from single cell to differentiated organoids.
“While organoids hold great promise to transform drug development, precision medicine, and ultimately, transplantation-based therapies for end-stage diseases, a number of majors hurdles need to be overcome to realise the full potential of organoid medicine,” said Magdalena Kasendra, Director of Research and Development at CuSTOM. “Our recently established CuSTOM Accelerator Lab aims to solve these issues by developing fully automated high-throughput workflows for improved scalability, reproducibility of organoid production and novel organoid-based drug screening platforms. Combining CuSTOM’s expertise with the cutting-edge imaging technologies and solutions from Molecular Devices will be essential for achieving these goals.”
