InSphero Introduces Akura™ Flow Microphysiological System at SLAS2018
Global leader in 3D cell culture technology to deliver standardized 3D models in advanced microfluidic format ideal for organ on a chip applications.
Schlieren, Switzerland - February 8, 2018 InSphero AG, the leading supplier of advanced, yet easy-to-use 3D cell culture-based solutions for drug discovery and development, previewed its new Akura™ Flow Microphysiological System (MPS) at the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening (SLAS) 2018 Conference, February 3-7 in San Diego, CA. Akura™ Flow was one of the top 10 finalists competing for coveted SLAS Innovation Award.
Engineered exclusively for use with InSphero’s portfolio of standardized 3D microtissues, Akura™ Flow is a highly flexible platform that provides experimental continuity between single- and multi-tissue testing applications, enabling seamless integration and optimal utilization of in vitro models. It is specifically designed to enable users of InSphero microtissues and services to:
- Improve tissue-specific in vitro functionality in optimized microtissue flow chambers and interconnecting microchannels for controlled dynamic flow, providing efficient nutrient and oxygen supply while enabling paracrine/endocrine intertissue communication.
- Increase physiological complexity while maintaining operational simplicity in an automation-compatible, tubeless, tilting-based medium perfusion system that interconnects InSphero 3D InSight™ assay ready models.
- Simplify reliable and parallelized microtissue loading and retrieval with a unique SureXchange™ funnel design that facilitates media sampling and exchange in a plate format that conforms to Society for Biomolecular Screening (SBS) standards and is compatible with state-of-the-art high content imaging and automated liquid handling systems.
- Eliminate compound absorption using a PDMS-free, full-polystyrene platform and our proven, long-term stable ULA coating.
The Akura™ Flow system can be configured to use any combination of our 3D InSight™ microtissue models for a broad range of preclinical applications, including low clearance prediction assays, bioactivation of prodrugs, metabolic disease modeling, and integration of metabolic competence. InSphero is currently collaborating with pharmaceutical companies to develop custom MPS solutions and is actively seeking development partners to help test additional applications.
"InSphero has spent nearly a decade developing core enabling 3D technology, microtissue production processes, and quality standards that set the bar for assay-ready in vitro models and services in the pharmaceutical industry," said Dr. Jan Lichtenberg, InSphero Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder. "With Akura™ Flow, we provide a powerful organ-on-a-chip solution that transcends many of the current limitations of static cell culture systems and animal models and will better reflect systemic in vivo biology at earlier stages in drug discovery and development.”
To learn more about InSphero products and services, visit www.insphero.com.
InSphero contacts
Dr. Frank Junker
Chief Business Officer
Phone +41 44 5150490
frank.junker@insphero.com
Dr. Jan Lichtenberg
Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder
Phone +41 44 5150490
jan.lichtenberg@insphero.com
About InSphero
InSphero sets the standard for in vitro testing of novel drugs in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry with comprehensive solutions that provide greater confidence in decision making. Its robust and highly physiologically relevant suite of 3D InSight™ Microtissues and Services are used by major pharmaceutical companies worldwide to increase efficiency in drug discovery and safety testing. InSphero patent-pending technologies and methods enable large-scale, reproducible production of scaffold-free 3D microtissues driven solely by cellular self-assembly. The company specializes in delivering assay-ready and custom 3D models derived from liver, pancreas, and tumor tissues, to provide unrivalled biological insight into liver toxicology, metabolic diseases (e.g., diabetes and liver diseases), and oncology (with a focus on immuno-oncology). All InSphero microtissues are thoroughly validated to ensure the highest quality, certified for use in a variety of assays, and shipped globally to customers in a patented, easy-to-use spheroid-optimized platform, ready for research. Field application scientists and research staff with expertise in working with 3D models help ensure efficient integration and onsite training as needed. For customers who prefer an outsourcing strategy with fast turnaround, InSphero also offers contract research services utilizing their 3D microtissue models.
InSphero 3D InSight™ solutions drive significant findings in peer-reviewed journals, through collaborative projects such as EU-ToxRisk and HeCaToS, and have gained validation in the world’s largest government institutions and pharmaceutical, chemical and cosmetics companies.
Founded in 2009, the privately held company is headquartered in Schlieren, Switzerland with subsidiaries in the United States (Brunswick, ME) and Waldshut, Germany. It has been recognized for its scientific and commercial achievements with a number of national and international awards.
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Images
The Akura™ Flow plate.
