Incucyte® 3D Tumor Spheroid Assays
More Predictive Cancer Models with 3D Spheroid Assays
Traditional in vitro 2D monolayer cultures remain widely used to advance our understanding of cancer cell biology, but they fail to capture the complexity of tumors in vivo. Cancer cells in a living tumor grow in three dimensions, interacting with each other and their surrounding microenvironment in ways that significantly influence their biology, including gene expression, drug penetration, and therapeutic response.
To address these limitations, 3D spheroid culture models have emerged as more physiologically relevant systems for studying tumor behavior and assessing drug efficacy. Spheroids mimic key features of solid tumors, including cell–cell interactions, gradients of oxygen and nutrients, and spatial heterogeneity—offering a more stringent and predictive model for preclinical cancer research.
Streamlined and Reproducible Spheroid Assays with the Incucyte®
While many 3D culture techniques are still labor-intensive, variable, and difficult to scale, our spheroid assay is optimized for high-throughput, quantitative, and reproducible analysis using the Incucyte® Live-Cell Analysis System.
Using ultra-low attachment (ULA) round-bottom microplates, single spheroids per well can be easily formed without complex handling or expensive materials. These spheroids reliably exhibit the hallmarks of solid tumors, including proliferative outer zones and necrotic cores—making them ideal for evaluating drug-induced effects on tumor growth, viability, and morphology over time.
For more complex modeling, ECM-based scaffold systems (e.g., Matrigel or collagen) can be incorporated to further recapitulate the tumor microenvironment. These models support multi-spheroid growth per well and offer added physiological relevance by including matrix-driven cues.
Incucyte® 3D Tumor Spheroid Assays
Analyzing 3D tumor spheroids is complex—these models are dynamic and heterogeneous, making traditional endpoint assays and plate readers insufficient. Conventional imaging systems struggle with kinetic analysis due to:
- Missed data between imaging intervals
- Environmental fluctuations from removing cultures from incubators
- Lengthy 3D image acquisition times
- Time-consuming setup and complex image analysis requiring expert skills
The Incucyte® CX3 Live-Cell Analysis System enables users combine live-cell kinetic imaging with high-resolution spinning disk confocal imaging of spheroids—all in one platform. Designed for minimal disruption to culture conditions, the Incucyte® CX3 enables continuous, real-time monitoring to generate richer, more reproducible data with less hands-on time. This enables seamless transition from dynamic monitoring to detailed 3D structural analysis without disrupting culture conditions.
Additionally, the Incucyte® 3D Tumor Spheroid Assays provide a fully integrated, turnkey solution to automatically monitor and quantify singe or multi-spheroid formation, growth, and viability in real time, directly inside your tissue culture incubator. Experience more comprehensive, reproducible, and efficient spheroid analysis designed to accelerate your cancer research and drug development workflows.
Choose from two assays depending on your scientific questions:
Incucyte Assays for Scaffold-Free Tumor Models (Single-Spheroid)
An integrated solution to automatically track and quantify tumor spheroid formation, growth and death in real time and in 96- and 384-well formats — inside your tissue culture incubator.
Incucyte Assays for 3D Scaffold-Based Tumor Models (Multi-Spheroid)
An integrated turnkey solution to automatically track and quantify tumor spheroid formation, growth and health in real time inside your tissue culture incubator.
Key Advantages
Incucyte® 3D Tumor Spheroid Key Advantages
- Derive More Physiologically Relevant Information - Quantify growth and investigate morphology of 3D tumor spheroid cultures – while your spheroids are growing undisturbed inside your incubator
- Reveal Cellular Changes Over Time - Investigate mechanisms of action with real-time viability measurements using non-perturbing reagents
- Generate Reproducible, Quantitative Data - Lab-tested protocols, high quality images, and unbiased analysis deliver robust data suitable for pharmacological analysis
- Unlock Your Productivity - Automatically acquire, analyze, and graph thousands of images from up to six 96/384-well plates in parallel and get to answers faster
Ordering Information
Additional Products
| Product | Qty. | Cat. No. |
|---|---|---|
| Incucyte® Nuclight Red Lentivirus (puro) 2.0 | 0.6 mL | BA-04887 |
| Incucyte® Nuclight Green Lentivirus (puro) 2.0 | 0.6 mL | BA-04888 |
| Incucyte® Nuclight Red Lentivirus (bleo) 2.0 | 0.6 mL | BA-04889 |
| Incucyte® Nuclight Green Lentivirus (bleo) 2.0 | 0.6 mL | BA-04890 |
| Incucyte® Nuclight Orange Lentivirus (puro) 2.0 | 0.6 mL | BA-04891 |
| Incucyte® Caspase-3/7 Green Dye | One vial (20 µL) | 4440 |
| Incucyte® Caspase 3/7 Red Dye | One vial (20 µL) | 4704 |
| Incucyte® Annexin V Red Dye | One vial (100 tests) | 4641 |
| Incucyte® Annexin V Green Dye | One vial (100 tests) | 4642 |
| Incucyte® Annexin V Orange Dye | One vial (100 tests) | 4759 |
| Incucyte® Annexin V NIR Dye | One vial (100 tests) | 4768 |
| Incucyte® Cytotox Red Reagent | Five vials (5 µL) | 4632 |
| Incucyte® Cytotox Green Reagent | Five vials (5 µL) | 4633 |
| Incucyte® Cytotox NIR Dye | One vial (100 µL) | 4846 |
