3D Cell Culture Analysis Streamlined by Organoid Counting Software for the Corning Cell Counter | Corning

The following article originally appeared on May 31, 2022 in Biocompare here.

Specialized cell culture models from stem cells have greatly expanded the available preclinical tools for understanding disease and advancing novel therapeutics and personalized medicine, but manual counting and measurement of the cells that make up these organoids and spheroids is time-consuming, tedious, and subject to user-dependent bias that adds uncertainty to results.

Automated cell counters such as the Corning® Cell Counter have already enabled rapid determination of concentration and surface area data of 2D cell cultures. To meet the unique needs of researchers working with more complex and predictive 3D cell cultures, Corning has launched the Organoid Counting Software (Cat. No. 6749-OC) for the Corning Cell Counter for populations that frequently vary in morphologies dependent on environmental factors and protocols.

The Organoid Counting Software’s image analysis algorithms allow for the detection of organoids or spheroids with a wide range of sizes, and the output of the analysis provides the user with an organoid size and count. Version 1 (V1) of the package is optimized for use with irregular morphologies. The V1 machine learning algorithm is trained to engulf the individual outer membranes within the field of view to calculate accurate surface area and organoids/mL data. Version 2 (V2) is optimized for spherical objects. Rather than obtaining prompt surface area and organoids/mL data, V2 will differentiate individual spherical objects within clusters.

Cloud-based processing provides results in as little as three seconds, depending on your lab’s Mbps download/upload speed. The software is also cost-efficient and versatile; is compatible with standard 0.1 mm and 0.2 mm counting chambers; and does not require any consumables. The software is shipped with a 0.2 mm gridless counting chamber, equipping the user with all the necessary devices to successfully determine 3D counts with the Corning Cell Counter.

In a recent application note, Corning demonstrated the reliability of the new software. When applied to the MRC-5 cell culture line, average concentrations measured using the Corning Cell Counter and V2 of the Organoid Counting Software were found to be closer to theoretical values than those achieved by the lengthier manual counting method. The sizes of the spheroids measured using the same instrument were also in agreement with the calculated diameters. These results confirm the suitability of the Corning Cell Counter and Organoid Counting Software for accurately counting spheroids.