Alvetex® 3D Cell Culture Systems

3D cell cultures using REPROCELL’s Alvetex® technology deliver more in vivo-like results over traditional two-dimensional monolayer cultures. Alvetex allows cell biologists to maintain the integrity of cell structure and organization found within native tissue to better understand cellular biology.

Alvetex 3D Cell Culture Systems

A broad range of plasticware formats for growing cells in 3D culture

Polystyrene Material

All Alvetex products are made from the same inert polystyrene material as standard 2D cell culture plasticware.

Range of Formats

Alvetex is available in a wide range of plate and well insert formats supporting a broad range of cell and tissue type environments for cells to penetrate, grow and proliferate in 3D.

Gamma Sterilized

Each product unit has been terminally sterilised by gamma irradiation and remains sterile until its blister pack is opened.

The science of Alvetex

Alvetex FAQ

Alvetex in scientific publications

A range of formats for all your applications

Alvetex Scaffold is primarily designed for three dimensional culture of dissociated mammalian cells within the scaffold, forming three dimensional associations as they propagate and migrate.

Above: Scanning electron microscope image of Alvetex Scaffold, to highlight its porous structure. A: a 200 µm thick Alvetex Scaffold disc. B: Close up of Alvetex Scaffold voids with dimensions of approximately 42 µm in diameter and interconnects of approximately 13 µm in diameter.

Alvetex Strata is primarily designed to support the growth of cells and intact tissues on the surface of the membrane.

Above: Scanning electron microscope image of Alvetex Strata. C: a 200 µm thick Alvetex Strata disc. D: Close up of Alvetex Strata voids with dimensions of approximately 15 µm in diameter and interconnects of approximately 5 µm in diameter.

Types of assay	Alvetex Scaffold 6 well insert	Alvetex Scaffold 12 well insert	Alvetex Scaffold 24 well insert	Alvetex Scaffold 12 well plate	Alvetex Scaffold 24 well plate	Alvetex Scaffold 96 well plate	Alvetex Strata 6 well insert	Alvetex Strata 12 well insert
Viability/Proliferation/ Metabolic Activity Assays	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++
Toxicity Assays	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++
Gene Expression assays (qPCR/ microarray)	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++
Protein Expression assays (e.g. western blot)	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++
Air-liquid Interface assays	+++	+++	+++	N/a	n/a	n/a	+++	+++
Cell Signaling assays	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++	+++
Permeability assays	+++	+++	+++	n/a	n/a	n/a	+++	+++
Transfection assays	+++	+++	+++	+	+	+	+++	+++
Co-culture assays	+++	+++	+++	++	++	++	+++^C	+++^C
Invasion assays	+++	+++	+++	+	+	+	++^C	++^C
Migration assays	+++	+++	+++	+	+	+	++^C	++^C
Histology	+++	+++	+++	++	++	++	+++	+++
Immunostaining (IHC/IF)	+++	+++	+++	++	++	++	+++	+++
Confocal microscopy	+++	+++	+++	++	++	++	++	++
Live cell imaging^A	+++	+++	+++	++	++	++	++	++
Ex vivo tissue maintenance	+++	+++	+++	++	++	++	+++	+++
Live cell retrieval^B	+++	+++	+++	++	++	++	++	++

Notes:

A: The growth of cells cannot be followed by traditional light microscopy as in 2D, but as with ex vivo tissues, 3D structures have to be evaluated using histology or confocal microscopy. Alternatively cell proliferation can be monitored using a viability assay such as the MTT.

B: The exact number of cells retrieved from Alvetex varies with the invasiveness of the cell line cultured, e.g. epithelial vs. fibroblastic. Although the three-dimensional structure of Alvetex precludes all 100% of the cells from being routinely retrieved, calls can be retrieved in adequate numbers for quantitative down-stream processes, e.g. flow cytometry.

C: When designing co-culture, invasion or migration set-ups for Alvetex Strata, please keep in mind that some cell lines (e.g. epithelial) have a tendency to multi-layer on top of the substrate rather then invade into it.

AVP002-2 — 2 × 12 well plates
AVP002-10 — 10 × 12 well plates
AVP002-80 — 80 × 12 well plates

Comprised of a single loose disc of Alvetex Scaffold and a polystyrene clip in each well of a 12 well plate. The clip holds the disc in position during transit and use, and can easily be removed for access to the Alvetex Scaffold and cells grown in 3D culture.

The 12 well plate format, a simple presentation of Alvetex Scaffold technology, is primarily suitable for short term culture experiments where the medium is replaced every 1-2 days.

AVP006-2 — 2 × 24 well plates
AVP006-10 — 10 × 24 well plates
AVP006-80 — 80 × 24 well plates

Comprised of a single loose disc of Alvetex Scaffold and a polystyrene clip in each well of a 24 well plate. The clip holds the disc in position during transit and use, and can easily be removed for access to the Alvetex Scaffold and cells grown in 3D culture.

The 24 well plate format, a simple presentation of Alvetex Scaffold technology, is primarily suitable for short term culture experiments where the medium is replaced every 1-2 days.

AVP009-2 — 2 × 96 well plates
AVP009-10 — 10 × 96 well plates
AVP009-80 — 80 × 96 well plates

Comprised of a black 96 well plate, clear plastic base, with Alvetex Scaffold at the bottom of each well. The Alvetex Scaffold has been heat welded to the base of the wells in a process which does not alter its physical structure.

Cells growing in 3D are exposed to culture medium from above only, and therefore predominantly reside in the top portion of scaffold.

Alvetex Scaffold 96 well plate technology is compatible with a wide range of in vitro cell viability assays.

AVP010-2 — 2 × 384 well plates

Comprised of a black 384 well plate, clear plastic base, with Alvetex Scaffold at the bottom of each well. The Alvetex Scaffold has been heat welded to the base of the wells in a process which does not alter its physical structure.

Cells growing in 3D are exposed to culture medium from above only, and therefore predominantly reside in the top portion of scaffold.

Alvetex Scaffold 384 well plate technology is compatible with a wide range of in vitro cell viability assays.

Alvetex® Scaffold 6 well inserts

AVP004-12 — 12 inserts
AVP004-48 — 48 inserts
AVP004-96 — 96 inserts

Alvetex® Strata 6 well inserts

STP004-12 — 12 inserts
STP004-48 — 48 inserts
STP004-96 — 96 inserts

Comprised of discs of either Alvetex Scaffold or Alvetex Strata in individually sealed polystyrene inserts, designed to fit into most 6 well plates (see diagram).

6 well inserts can also be suspended in a deep Petri dish using our custom-made Alvetex Well Insert Holder (see product AVP015, sold separately).

The presentation of Alvetex in well insert formats is versatile, enabling long term 3D culture as cells can receive nutrients from media above and below the membrane, sustaining optimal 3D cell growth.

Alvetex® Scaffold 12 well inserts

AVP005-12 — 12 inserts
AVP005-48 — 48 inserts
AVP005-96 — 96 inserts

Alvetex® Strata 12 well inserts

STP005-12 — 12 inserts
STP005-48 — 48 inserts
STP005-96 — 96 inserts

Comprised of discs of either Alvetex Scaffold or Alvetex Strata in individually sealed polystyrene inserts, designed to fit into most 6 well and 12 well plates (see diagram).

12 well inserts (when their extender wings haven’t been snapped off) can also be suspended in a deep Petri dish using our custom-made Alvetex Well Insert Holder (see product AVP015, sold separately).

Alvetex® Scaffold 24 well inserts

AVP012-12 — 12 inserts
AVP012-48 — 48 inserts
AVP012-96 — 96 inserts

Comprised of discs of Alvetex Scaffold in individually sealed polystyrene inserts, designed to fit into most 12 well and 24 well plates (see diagram).

24 well inserts are sterile blister packed in units of 12 within a 12 well plate.

AVP015-2 — 2 units
AVP015-10 — 10 units

Comprised of a single well insert holder in a deep Petri dish with lid. The well insert holder is capable of housing up to three Alvetex well inserts (either 6 or 12 well inserts). The Petri dish itself is not tissue culture treated.

The Alvetex Well Insert Holder and Deep Petri Dish enables users to grow their 3D cultures in larger volumes of media compared to an ordinary multiwell plate, facilitating fewer media changes. Capable of sustaining long term 3D culture experiments (3-4 weeks).

The well insert can be positioned at three different levels in the insert holder: high, medium and low. This feature allows cultures to be raised to the air liquid interface by moving the insert to a different level within the same holder.

Positioning the well inserts at different levels may also be used to conserve expensive media or allow for increasing media volumes for demanding cell types over the course of a long term experiment.

Well inserts at different holder levels:

alvetex-well-insert-holder-levels-drawing

Product	Kit Contents
Alvetex® Scaffold Plate Starter Kit AVP-KIT-1	1 × 12 well plate 1 × 24 well plate 1 × 96 well plate
Alvetex® Scaffold Well Insert Starter Kit AVP-KIT-2	6 × 6 well inserts 6 × 12 well inserts 1 × Alvetex Well Insert Holder in a deep Petri dish
Alvetex® Strata Well Insert Starter Kit STP-KIT-2	6 × 6 well inserts 6 × 12 well inserts 1 × Alvetex Well Insert Holder in a deep Petri dish
Alvetex® Perfusion Plate and Alvetex Scaffold 6 Well Inserts Kit (small) AVP-KIT-3	2 × Alvetex Perfusion Plates with Luer locks 12 × Alvetex Scaffold 6 well inserts
Alvetex® Perfusion Plate and Alvetex Scaffold 12 Well Inserts Kit (small) AVP-KIT-4	2 × Alvetex Perfusion Plates with Luer locks 12 × Alvetex Scaffold 12 well inserts
Alvetex® Perfusion Plate and Alvetex Scaffold 6 Well Inserts Kit (large) AVP-KIT-5	5 × Alvetex Perfusion Plates with Luer locks 48 × Alvetex Scaffold 6 well inserts
Alvetex® Perfusion Plate and Alvetex Scaffold 12 Well Inserts Kit (large) AVP-KIT-6	5 × Alvetex Perfusion Plates with Luer locks 48 × Alvetex Scaffold 12 well inserts