The SemaCyte® Platform

SemaCyte® cell microcarriers leverage novel materials physics to move and freeze cells while retaining their adherent morphology. Our approach introduces flexibility, speed, and miniaturisation into existing drug discovery workflows. This unique approach to cell based assays makes it possible to produce better data, faster.

SemaCytes function as ultra-miniaturised, mobile wells which carry small colonies of adherent cells. These flat, walled cell microcarriers can be moved with liquid handling tools and their orientation can be controlled magnetically. SemaCytes can be used to measure additional experimental endpoints, prepare adherent assay-ready cells, and reduce the number of cells per well.

Enabling More Powerful Workflows with Cell Microcarriers

Move cells
while retaining their
adherent morphology

Increase assay flexibility and enable further workflow automation

e.g. subsample adherent cells to measure additional endpoints

Freeze adherent assay-ready cells in cryovials for on-demand use

Reduce assay preparation time to increase throughput by 2- to 20-fold

e.g. adherent assay-ready cells for rapid design-make-test-analyse cycles

Place less cells per well
while still retaining
high local confluency

Reduce the amount of adherent
cells per assay by 5- to 50-fold

e.g. ultra-miniaturise assays with primary cell materials in 96- or 384-well plates
Our SemaCyte Starter Kit is available through our Early Adopter Programme. For use cases and examples, have a look at the product page or our brochure.
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Seamless Integration with Workflows

SemaCytes are created with microfabrication technologies, combining nanomagnetism, smart materials, and surface engineering.

Cell seeding can be done as usual by simply pipetting cells on arrays of immobilised SemaCytes.

Once the correct confluency and morphology is achieved, the SemaCytes are released into suspension for direct use or cryopreservation.

Cell-containing SemaCytes are dispensed into a well plate for screening assays involving plate readers or microscopes.

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SemaCytes are magnetically controlled, but do not interact with each other.

Resources

Scalable & High-Fidelity Antibody Screening - SemaCyte® Microcarriers to Barcode and Multiplex Engineered Cells for Accelerated Imaging-Based Worflows

Applications
The SemaCyte® platform enables scalable, high-fidelity antibody screening by pooling multiple adherent cell models within a single microwell. Optically barcoded microcarriers support dye-free multiplexing for binding and functional assays using high-content imaging. This imaging-based workflow eliminates reliance on flow cytometry, offering a more robust and accessible alternative. Application examples demonstrate 3-plex specificity and orthologue screens with strong assay performance (Z′ > 0.6) using 50-100 cells per model. By miniaturising workflows and enabling frozen, assay-ready cell banks, SemaCytes reduce cost, variability, and resource use—streamlining early antibody discovery.
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Unlock Scalable Cell Painting Assays - Barcode and multiplex adherent cells with SemaCyte® microcarriers for data-rich phenotypic profiling

Applications
Cell painting is evolving beyond single-line assays toward screening diverse and engineered cell models for deeper phenotypic insight. SemaCyte® microcarriers enable barcode-based multiplexing of multiple adherent cell types within a single well, reducing plate usage, imaging time, and variability. Each microcarrier carries ~5 adherent cells in a uniform geometry, supporting assay consistency and enabling workflow miniaturisation. The approach is fully compatible with standard reagents, imaging platforms, and software such as Harmony® and CellProfiler. Here, we demonstrate accurate 4-plex profiling (HeLa, U2OS, HEK293, A549) with robust PCA clustering from just 50-100 cells per model.
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SemaCyte Microcarriers Brochure

Platform
The SemaCyte® microcarrier platform leverages advanced material science to barcode, move, and cryopreserve adherent cells within your assay workflows. SemaCytes seamlessly integrate with microplate-based assays, boosting throughput, flexibility, and efficiency. Unlock better data faster from a diverse range of adherent cell assays using your existing tools and equipment.
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