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

Supercharge High Content Imaging - SemaCyte® Microcarriers to Multiplex Cell Models Within Microwells

Applications
The SemaCyte® Multiplex platform transforms cell panel screening by enabling simultaneous analysis of multiple cell models within a single well. Each SemaCyte® microcarrier is encoded with optical barcodes, facilitating the pooling and identification of distinct cell models during imaging assays. This application note highlights a 4-plex cancer cell screen, demonstrating 4x faster data generation with 4x fewer reagents and plasticware. The results reveal biologically relevant insights into Nutlin-3A’s effect on p53 activation, significantly speeding up compound profiling and biomarker identification while reducing assay costs and time.
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Cryopreserved, NanoBRET Transfected, and Assay-Ready Adherent Cells on SemaCyte® Microcarriers

Applications
SemaCyte® microcarriers enhance drug discovery workflows by enabling the cryopreservation of large batches of assay-ready adherent cells, significantly reducing preparation time. In this application, A549 cells transfected with a p53:MDM2 NanoBRET pair were cryopreserved and recovered without loss of viability or transfection efficiency. The SemaCyte® technology accelerated the assays by up to 8-fold, eliminating the need for a 2-3 day cell preparation step, offering more flexible and efficient screening campaigns.
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SemaCyte® Microcarriers Platform - Short 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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