MicroTissues, Inc. announced today that its 3D Petri Dish™ was used in one of Time magazine’s medical breakthroughs of 2010. Researchers at Brown University and Women and Infants Hospital used the 3D Petri Dish™ to invent the first artificial human ovary, a discovery important for fertility research and a possible infertility treatment for cancer patients. In lab studies, the investigators used the 3D Petri Dish™ to assemble three different cell types into a 3D structure resembling an ovary where they functioned for all intents and purposes like a real ovary, even successfully maturing a human egg from its earliest stages in the follicle to a fully developed form.

“This is an exciting medical breakthrough and an significant validation of the importance of the 3D Petri Dish™ technology” said Brian Morgan, Marketing Manager of MicroTissues, Inc. “Cell-to-cell interactions are critical for the function of the ovary and the 3D Petri Dish™ is designed to promote these interactions. The honeycomb shaped 3D microtissue used in these studies is a great example of the kinds of complex shaped microtissues that can only be produced with the 3D Petri Dish™.”

MicroTissues, Inc offers eight products that are precision micro-molds used to cast 3D Petri Dishes™ that fit in standard multi-well plates. The micro-molds are autoclavable and reusable. The 3D Petri Dish™ is used to form 3D spheroids and microtissues with more complex shapes and geometries such as toroids and honeycombs. Over thirty different cell types, including primary human cells, have been shown to form 3D microtissues in the 3D Petri Dish™.

MicroTissues, Inc. a privately held company with an exclusive worldwide license to US and international patent applications on the 3D Petri Dish™, is advancing technologies and applications of 3D cell culture. The company’s products stand above the rest because they are designed to create more natural and more reliable 3D cell culture environments based on cell-to-cell interactions in convenient and consistent formats that generate high content information. The company’s lead line of products, the 3D Petri Dish™, is serving the needs of researchers in a wide range of areas including cancer research, stem cell biology, toxicity testing, developmental biology, drug discovery, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. In addition to products for basic research, MicroTissues, Inc. is using its platform technology to pursue applications in drug discovery and cell therapy. For more information, please visit www.microtissues.com.

Via EPR Network
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