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Pearl Biosystem has developed a method to screen chemical libraries in liquid pearls by cultivating spheroids in a close to zero gravity environment.
In a recent review by Dr. Daan W. A. van den Nieuwenhof and colleagues, (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-024-00442-z), the authors focus on spheroid formation in microgravity (µG) and the implications for biomedical research cell culture. The paper aims to summarize existing research on these mechanisms.
Importance:
- A spheroid is a 3D cell assembly mimicking the in vivo environment, making it a valuable model for cellular studies.
- Spheroids can also be fused to create macroscopic tissues for transplantation.
Challenges:
- While various techniques exist to produce spheroids, achieving controlled, large-scale production remains difficult.
- Creating an environment that promotes differentiation, viability, and cell-cell attachment is critical for self-assembly.
Microgravity:
- In microgravity, cells naturally cluster and form spheroids, suggesting µG facilitates an optimal environment for spheroid formation.
- This makes microgravity a potential key factor for developing efficient spheroid production techniques.
Mechanisms:
- Gene or protein inhibition can influence spheroid formation, either accelerating or inhibiting the process.
- The exact mechanisms behind microgravity-induced spheroid formation are still unclear and require further study.
In conclusion, this review highlights the synergy between tissue engineering and microgravity, showcasing its potential for innovations in spheroid and organoid production, tissue fabrication, and pharmaceutical and space-related research. While microgravity offers a unique environment for cellular self-assembly, challenges such as platform optimization, tissue acclimatization, and cellular heterogeneity must be addressed to advance reliable and reproducible techniques in this emerging field, a challenge we meet at Pearl Biosystem.