Lonza to Expand Availability of 3D Cell Culture System

Lonza has announced that it has reached an exclusive agreement with TAP Biosystems, part of the Stedim Biotech Group, to distribute the company’s RAFT™ (Real Architecture For 3D Tissue) 3D Cell Culture System. The RAFT™ System uses a patented absorber technology to create cell layers in high-density collagen that mimic the in vivo environment. This system enables researchers to generate more biologically meaningful data from their cell culture studies.

The versatile RAFT™ Kit is available in a number of formats and is appropriate for analysis using a wide variety of imaging, biochemical and histological techniques. In combination with Lonza’s human primary cells and media solutions, the RAFT™ 3D Cell Culture System empowers researchers to create physiologically relevant cell culture models for use across drug discovery and research applications.

The RAFT™ 3D Cell Culture System has been designed with simple, easy-to-follow protocols that allow researchers to set up 3D cell cultures in under an hour. The RAFT™ Kit includes a collagen type I solution and biocompatible absorbers, which remove the medium from cell-seeded collagen hydrogels and allow researchers to control both cell concentration and matrix density. RAFT™ 3D Cell Culture System is a flexible system that supports a variety of formats including 24-well, 96-well and insert-well.

The key differentiation of the RAFT™ System from other platforms is its versatility. This system can be utilized with one cell type, or multiple cell types in parallel. Cells can be cultured within the collagen scaffold, or on top, or both. The addition of permeable membrane cell culture inserts provides other extensions to the system, allowing the generation of barrier models including air-lift models. Furthermore, the system is compatible with a variety of cell types and has already been used to successfully generate 3D cultures in a number of research areas, including oncology, toxicology and neuroscience.

Lubna Hussain, Senior Product Manager for Lonza Bioscience Solutions, commented: “Using the RAFT™ 3D Cell Culture System, cells grown in 3D culture are surrounded by a high-density collagen matrix that is more representative of an in vivo environment when compared to traditional 2D or suspension cultures. This approach allows for the formation of complex models and facilitates an improved understanding of cellular growth, differentiation and cell-to-cell interactions.”

She added, “The RAFT™ System is a truly powerful system that offers many benefits and advantages over other 3D platforms due to its novel approach, and our team at Lonza is proud to add it to our portfolio of high-performing cell biology products. Used in combination, these products allow researchers to delve even deeper into cellular biology in the pursuit of insight and discovery.”

For further details about how the RAFT™ System can enhance 3D culture methods and improve the biological relevance of results, visit www.lonza.com/raft

Lonza provides the pharma market with the tools that life-science researchers use to develop and test therapeutics, from basic research to final product release. Lonza’s bioscience products and services range from cell culture and discovery technologies for research, to quality control tests and software to ensure product quality. Lonza Bioscience Solutions serves research customers worldwide in pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, biotechnology and personal-care companies, as well as academic and government research institutions. The company delivers physiologically relevant cell biology solutions and complete solutions for rapid microbiology. Primary brands include BioWhittaker™, Clonetics™, FlashGel™, MetaPhor™, MycoAlert™, Nucleofection™, NuSieve™, PAGEr™, Poietics™ and SeaKem®.
Lonza is one of the world’s leading and most-trusted suppliers to the pharmaceutical, biotech and specialty ingredients markets. We harness science and technology to create products that support safer and healthier living and that enhance the overall quality of life.

Not only are we a custom manufacturer and developer, Lonza also offers services and products ranging from active pharmaceutical ingredients and stem-cell therapies to drinking water sanitizers, from the vitamin B compounds and organic personal care ingredients to agricultural products, and from industrial preservatives to microbial control solutions that combat dangerous viruses, bacteria and other pathogens.

Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, Lonza today is a well-respected global company with more than 40 major manufacturing and R&D facilities and approximately 9,800 employees worldwide. The company generated sales of about CHF 3.64 billion in 2014 and is organized into two market-focused segments: Pharma&Biotech and Specialty Ingredients. Further information can be found at www.lonza.com.