Customer Spotlight BIOTEK

Clermont Auvergne University

Cytation Helps to Highlight Synthetic Serum-Free Media Advantages and More

Several years ago, the BIORCELL3D collaborative research project was launched by three partners:  Clermont Auvergne University (UCA, France) through the Resistance Team of UMR INSERM 1240 Molecular Imaging and Theranostic Strategies (IMoST) located in the University Institute of Technology; BIOPASS company; and BIOMARQUEURS company. The project goals are to develop large-scale, biosimilar three-dimensional (3D) tumoroid and organoid models for use in developing anticancer strategies and screening new targeted therapies. These alternative culture models need highly controlled conditions, yet a known challenge to cell culture reproducibility is establishing homogeneity in the culture media, especially when supplemented with fetal calf serum (FCS). As one of the BIORCELL 3D partners, BIOPASS developed the OptiPASS synthetic cell culture medium to bypass reproducibility issues associated with the use of fetal calf serum.

In this context, Dr. Clémence Dubois, a researcher on the IMoST team at UCA, recently documented the performance of this synthetic and serum-free media using aggressive triple negative breast cancer tumoroids, which are characterized by non-expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors and the absence of epidermal growth factors. This work is detailed in, “The New Synthetic Serum-Free Medium OptiPASS Promotes High Proliferation and Drug Efficacy Prediction on Spheroids from MDA-MB-231 and SUM1315 Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Lines” published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. In this paper, the Cytation™Cell Imaging Multi-Mode Reader from BioTek Instruments was used to track spheroid growth kinetics, metabolic activity, and viability and to show that spheroid growth kinetics and drug sensitivity thresholds were improved using the synthetic OptiPASS medium. Additionally, spheroid formation reproducibility was shown to be greater than 98%. Moving forward, the OptiPASS serum-free medium will be developed and adapted to other cell culture types. 

After initial training, users found Cytation 3 and its integrated Gen5™ Microplate Reader and Imager Software to be intuitive and user-friendly, especially when used on assays that require verification of imaging and reading at the same time. The increased throughput and reduced need for manual analysis is a boost for productivity while yielding consistent results. Thanks to Cytation 3, Biobide can feel technically supported and confident in results as they continue to develop tailor-made assays and disease models to benefit the therapeutic initiatives of their clients.Numerous other BIORCELL3D research activities that Dr. Dubois and the IMoST team are undertaking rely heavily on the Cytation. For example, the Cytation is used for co-localization experiments related to the development of fluorescent tools used to improve cancer treatment efficacy such as the LightSpot project, (details confidential) and fluorescent inhibitors of the poly[ADP-ribose] polymerase enzymes, known as PARPi-FL.

The Cytation is a true workhorse in the lab; it is used every day for a variety of imaging and detection experiments, including end-point and kinetic assays and long-term culture incubations. The flexible, multi-modal architecture and ability to easily automate most tasks rendered the Cytation an excellent replacement for other instruments in the lab, including a manual epifluorescence microscope and spectrophotometer.

Dr. Dubois notes that all users appreciate the accuracy, productivity, and quality that Cytation brings to the lab, and adds, “Cytation is so simple to use; and its practical, reliable nature makes me feel very confident in our data.”