Revolutionizing Drug Discovery with the NX One MAX: Why Sorting Organoids Matters
Are you a preclinical drug discovery researcher wondering how to make your screening processes more efficient and physiologically relevant? If so, it’s time to explore the world of organoid sorting. This cutting-edge approach could be the key to unlocking the newest potential therapies and revolutionizing drug development. Read on why our team believes organoid sorting matters and how to use new benchtop organoid sorting and dispensing solutions such as the Nodexus NX One MAX to reshape your 3D biology workflows.
The Rise of 3D Biology: Beyond the Petri Dish
Traditional 2D cell cultures have long been the workhorses of biological research. But let’s face it – a flat layer of cells hardly represents the complex, three-dimensional world of human tissues and organs. Enter 3D biology and the era of organoids.
Organoids are miniature, simplified versions of organs grown in vitro. These tiny 3D structures mimic the complexity of real organs, offering a more physiologically relevant model for studying diseases and testing potential treatments1. They bridge the gap between oversimplified 2D cultures and complex animal models, providing a unique window into human biology2.
Why Haven’t We Been Sorting Organoids?
The Game-Changer: Sorting Organoids for Drug Screening
Should you care about sorting your organoids? If you’re not already thinking about expanding your research scale, odds are your reviewers and competitors are!
1. Enhanced Physiological Relevance By sorting organoids, we can isolate specific phenotypes or stages of development, providing a more targeted and physiologically relevant platform for drug testing4. Imagine being able to screen drugs against organoids that perfectly mimic a particular disease state or patient-specific characteristics. Sorted organoids offer a closer approximation of human biology, potentially reducing the gap between preclinical and clinical results and leading to more predictive preclinical models5. Moreover, for rare diseases where patient samples are scarce, the ability to expand and sort organoids could provide unprecedented opportunities for drug screening.
2. Accelerated Drug Discovery Pipeline By providing a more accurate model earlier in the drug discovery process, sorted organoids could help identify promising candidates – and rule out ineffective ones – faster than ever before6. This could significantly reduce the time, cost, and reliance on animal testing to bring new therapies to market.
3. Improved Efficiency and Reproducibility
Sorted organoids offer a more homogeneous population for screening, reducing variability and improving reproducibility. This means more reliable results and potentially fewer false positives or negatives in your drug screens. High-throughput sorting of organoids will allow for more efficient testing of drug combinations, opening new avenues for treating complex diseases.
Introducing the NX One MAX:
Transform your 3D Organoid Research with Sorting & Dispensing
Gentle High-Throughput Sorting of Spheroids up to 200 μm in Size using the NX One MAX. (Left) Spheroids cultured in AggreWell™ 400 plates (inset) were dislodged and re-suspended at 1000 spheroids/mL concentration. (Right) Post-sorting analysis of spheroids in a 96-well plate. The inset shows a higher magnification view of a sorted spheroid labeled with CytoTell UltraGreen. The NX One MAX gently (<0.1 PSI) sorts and dispenses single or multiple spheroids and organoids in each well based on size and/or fluorescence while maintaining their viability and structure to enhance homogeneity in your drug screening and transcriptomic applications. Scale bars: 100μm.
While the potential of organoid sorting is clear, you might wonder how to implement this approach practically in your lab. Enter the NX One MAX, a cutting-edge organoid sorter designed to overcome the challenges of handling these delicate 3D structures. But how?
1. Affordable, High-Purity Sorting: The NX One MAX can sort one or multiple organoids in each well with high purity. It accepts commercially available microtiter plates from 6 to 384 wells, including medium and deep well formats.
2. Ultra Gentle Handling: Unlike traditional cell sorters that can damage delicate organoids, the NX One MAX uses microfluidic technology and <0.1 PSI pressures to ensure gentle handling. This means your organoids remain intact and viable throughout the sorting process, preserving their structural integrity and functionality.
3. Size Flexibility: The NX One MAX can handle various organoid sizes, from nascent cell clusters (<50μm) and complex cells like cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, and adipocytes (<100 μm) to larger, complex structures like spheroids and organoids (up to 200μm). This versatility makes it suitable for various organoid types and stages of development, as well as for the sorting of heterogeneous samples.
4. Maintaining Sterility: The NX One MAX’s closed system design helps maintain sterility throughout the sorting process, reducing the risk of contamination – a critical factor when working with long-term cultures like organoids.
The Future of Drug Discovery is Here
As we’ve seen, organoid sorting, particularly with advanced tools like the NX One MAX, is poised to revolutionize drug discovery. By providing more physiologically relevant models and enabling precise isolation of specific organoid populations, this approach offers a more straightforward path from lab to clinic.
Are you ready to take your drug screening to the next level? Embrace the power of organoid sorting with the NX One MAX and position yourself at the cutting edge of drug discovery innovation. The world’s next breakthrough could be just one sort away!
