Summary
An application guide to scaffold-free adipose spheroids and organoids for metabolic research, with links to peer-reviewed research from our publication library.
Adipose Spheroids for Metabolic Research: Application Guide
Why 3D for adipose tissue
Adipose tissue is central to metabolic syndrome, autoimmune disease, and many cancers, but monolayer fat cultures detach easily and differentiate inefficiently. Published work in our library reports that adipocytes in 3D culture behave much more like real tissue: they accumulate large lipid droplets, secrete adiponectin, and produce low levels of inflammatory cytokines.
Library studies using scaffold-free adipose spheroids include development and characterization of adipose organoids, transcriptome comparisons of adipose-derived stem cells in 2D versus 3D, substrate-availability studies on spheroid survival in ischemic conditions, and co-culture models pairing adipose spheroids with endometrial organoids to study the effects of high adiposity.
How the 3D Petri Dish® fits
Cells pipetted into the seeding chamber of the cast agarose gel settle into its recesses and self-assemble into one microtissue per well, typically within 1–2 days — with no scaffold and no animal-derived matrix, so lipid handling and secretion are measured without a foreign material in the system.
Spheroid size is controlled by the number of cells seeded. One published study found that viability of adipose-derived stem cell spheroids in nutrient-restricted conditions improved with added glucose but not with added oxygen — useful context when designing ischemia-relevant experiments. Molds are reusable (guaranteed 12 uses) and autoclavable at 121°C.
Peer-reviewed studies
Browse the full research library for published adipose and metabolic studies using the 3D Petri Dish®.
