Automated Liquid Handling Platforms to Expand Use of 3D Cell Culture

Two state-of-the-art biotech companies have announced a comarketing agreement to expand the use of three-dimensional (3D) cell culture techniques through adaptation to automated liquid handling platforms.

TAP Biosystems (Cambridge, United Kingdom) will be collaborating with Tecan (Männedorf, Switzerland) to automate the TAP RAFT (Real Architecture for 3D Tissue) 3D cell culturing system for use with the Tecan Freedom EVO liquid handling platform.


The Tecan Freedom EVO series offers worktables with building-block modularity that ensures precision, reliable liquid handling, and easy-to-use robotics. Each platform can be combined with a wide choice of robotic arms, liquid handling tools, and application options powered by straightforward software that can be programmed to meet the needs of each individual laboratory.

The RAFT 3D cell culture system uses biologically relevant concentrations of collagen matrix to ensure cells grow and proliferate in an environment closely resembling the native tissue. By combining RAFT with the Freedom EVO to automate the preparation of the collagen matrix plus media and reagent additions, researchers will have access to a rapid, reliable process for creation of consistent and reproducible 3D cell cultures.

The RAFT system requires only three simple steps to establish 96-well cell cultures. Cells and neutralized collagen are mixed, dispensed into a 96-well culture plate and incubated to create cell-seeded hydrogels. The RAFT plate gently removes medium from the hydrogels to create 96 in vivo collagen cell cultures, which may be analyzed using a broad range of biochemical, immunological, or imaging techniques.

Kevin Moore, head of applications and solutions at Tecan, said, “We are pleased to further expand our automated 3D cell culture portfolio to include the RAFT system. Working together with TAP Biosystems, we will be able to offer a complete solution for automated 3D cell culture.”

Dr. Grant Cameron, RAFT development director at TAP Biosystems, said, “RAFT is rapidly becoming a core secondary screening technology within drug discovery. This exciting collaboration will enable researchers to expand the power of the realistic collagen environment of RAFT, with substantially increased throughput to meet their cell-based screening requirements.”

Related Links:
TAP Biosystems
Tecan