AIM Biotech 3D Cell Culture Chips
Cat#:AIM Biotech 3D Cell Culture Chips
Price:Please call:86-10-67529703
Brand:flexcell
Culturing Cells in a Mechanically Active Environment

For 20 years, Flexcell® International Corporation has specialized in designing and manufacturing products to service the Cytomechanics marketplace. Cytomechanics is the field of study investigating cellular responses to mechanical loads. Flexcell®takes pride in the quality of our products and in the service we provide to our customers. We welcome you to our site to learn more about how you can expand your research capabilities.

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AIM Biotech 3D Cell Culture Chips

3-channel design : 3D gel region flanked by 2 media channels

  • Microscope slide format 75 mm X 25 mm.
  • Compatible with all polymerisable gels including collagen, fibrinogen, Matrigel, etc. and combinations thereof.
  • Gas permeable laminate for effective gas exchange.
  • Optically clear and compatible with phase contrast, fluorescence and confocal microscopy.
  • Enables monotypic or organotypic co-culture models.
  • Enables the control of interstitial flow across the 3D gel region.
  • Enables the control of chemical gradients across the 3D gel region.
  • Sterile and ready-to-use.
  • Designed for rapid media exchange through vacuum aspiration with no risk of over-aspiration.
  • Designed for modular expansion with AIM Connectors.
  • Fits into AIM Microtiter Plate Holders for easy handling and stacking.
**AIM Biotech products represented by Flexcell® are only for sale in the United States.


Applications of AIM Biotech 3D Cell Culture Chips
  • Cell migration of both adherent and non-adherent cells and cell invasion
  • Angiogenesis and vasculogenesis
  • Metastatic cancer assays (spheroid dispersion and extravasation)
Key features of AIM microfluidic chips
  • Long working regions that are easily injectable with hydrogel, with low risk of leakage.
  • Gas permeable bottom laminate ensures accurate reflections of incubator conditions (normoxic or hypoxic).
  • Multicellular co-culture, with meaningful organization into models of biological systems.
  • Control over chemical gradients and flow across the gel region and/or within the media channels.

Novel posts enable easy gel filling & long working regions 
AIM Biotech AIM 3D Cell Culture Chips utilize a patented approach with a novel post design in conjunction with optimized post spacing & channel height. This allows hydrogels to be contained within gel channels during the hydrogel filling process, with little risk of leaking into adjacent channels. The DAX-1 chip, for instance, has a 14mm long gel region. The air-liquid interface is substantially flat & uniform, with minimal occurrence of concave (under-filled) or convex (over-filled) interfaces. As the hydrogel is caged within the gel channel, the meniscus that usually obstructs phase contrast imaging is also absent. In short, AIM chips make it easy for users to cast hydrogels for 3D cell culture, and provide excellent optical clarity for various imaging techniques.

Gas permeable laminate 
AIM Biotech AIM 3D Cell Culture Chips are fabricated with gas permeable laminates to ensure that oxygen tension in each chip correctly reflects incubator conditions. Users have the flexibility of setting up normoxic or hypoxic culture conditions.

Multicellular culture made possible, with meaningful organization into models of biological systems 
AIM Biotech
AIM Biotech
The multi-channel design of AIM 3D Cell Culture Chips enables the co-culture of different cell types in distinct compartments in the device, yet allowing paracrine signalling between cell types to take place. The movement of cells between different channels (or within an individual channel) can be easily observed & tracked. The growth and/or migration of cells within gel can often cause gel shrinkage or degradation. This problem is mitigated by the use of posts in AIM chips. The posts help to stabilize the gel and increase cell culture duration before the matrix collapses.

Control over chemical gradients & interstitial flow 
AIM Biotech
AIM Biotech
A chemical concentration gradient can easily be created across the porous 3D hydrogel by using a higher concentration of the chemical in a channel and allowing diffusion to take place. This feature is very useful for studies where directional cues of effectors are critical, including angiogenesis, cell migration and neurite guidance.


The interstitial flow across the 3D hydrogel can be controlled by setting up a pressure gradient between the flanking channels. This can be achieved by having a larger media volume in one media channel than the other, or by setting shear flow regimes that establish a pressure differential. AIM chips enable users to control shear flow in media channels with/without creating a pressure gradient across the gel channel. Shear flows are typically set by connecting the chip to a standard syringe pump through accessory connectors.

Selected AIM Biotech Publications
  • Vickerman V, Blundo J, Chung S and Kamm RD. Design, fabrication and implementation of a novel multi-parameter control microfluidic platform for three-dimensional cell culture and real-time imaging Lab Chip, 2008, 8, 1468–1477, DOI: 10.1039/b802395f.
  • Farahat W, Wood L, Zervantonakis I, Schor A, Ong S, Neal D, Kamm RD, and Asada H. Ensemble Analysis of Angiogenic Growth in Three-Dimensional Microfluidic Cell Cultures PLoS ONE 7(5): e37333. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037333, May 2012.
  • Shin Y, Han S, Jeon JS, Yamamoto K, Zervantonakis IK, Sudo R, Kamm RD and Chung S. Microfluidic assay for simultaneous culture of multiple cell types on surfaces or within hydrogels. Nature Prot, 7(7):1247-1259, 2012, PMID: 22678430,

Click here to view more AIM Biotech publications.

Click here to view Flexcell's publication database.