Laboratory in a Plastic Bag

Plasma Functionalizes Film Surface

Scientists worldwide are looking for ways to heal diseases using stem cells. These cells offer the potential to develop new types of therapies and drugs. Stem cell material also holds the key to researching diseases in a way that was not possible before. If researchers are to achieve meaningful and transferable results, there must be an increase in the cell material to be examined.

High-Quality 3D Cell Models Grow within 72 Hours

Every drop has a volume of approximately 20 microliters, and the size of the 3D cell model is around 400 micrometers. By varying the diameter of the spot on the surface of the bag, the size of the aggregates can be adjusted so as to achieve a targeted expansion of the biological portfolio. At present, Dr. Julia Neubauer, biologist at Fraunhofer IBMT, and her team need roughly 72 hours to produce aggregates in hanging droplets.

3D cell models can form in the hanging droplets (© Fraunhofer IST)

Fraunhofer IVV in Freising and its branch lab in Dresden were responsible for creating the bag. They took charge of the choice and development of the materials used, including the seal, as well as of designing the bag and its underlying technology. “We conducted a lot of tests relating to issues such as permeability, the quality of microscopic analysis, biocompatibility, and resistance to temperature and chemicals. After all that, we decided on polymer films. Previously we had identified 15 groups of polymers, and we examined eight of these,” says Dr. Cornelia Stramm, scientist at Fraunhofer IVV in Freising.

Andrea Liebmann, from Fraunhofer IVV in Dresden, adds, “The list of requirements for the LabBag was very demanding. It needed to be highly transparent and adequately retain its shape; it had to be sealable and stackable; it needed to be capable of being sterilized and undergoing cryogenic freezing. The bag also had to offer single-handed operation (self-opening) and good accessibility for the exchange of nutrient solutions. To satisfy these high requirements, we developed a partially automated test rig to produce the bags.” Since it is cost-efficient to make the LabBag, it represents an attractive alternative to traditional approaches.

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