Cell culture · 3D workflows

Spheroid culture

Spheroids are simple 3D aggregates of catalog cell lines under low-attachment conditions—good for drug throughput and methods controls. This hub wires our cell lines, ULA/U-bottom plates, and PDO contrast arms. Spheroids ≠ patient-derived organoids.

Start from cell lines Inquire spheroid kit Need PDO? Organoid hub

Cell-line catalog

Spheroids start from our catalog lines—pick designation and dedicated media first.

Browse cell lines →

Disease models

2D viability / migration outlines complement spheroid readouts on the same SKU.

Open disease models →

Organoids / PDO

Use PDO when you need patient heterogeneity or niche self-organization—spheroids are not PDOs.

Organoid hub →

Consumables

ULA / U-bottom plates and routine plasticware live here and in SKUs below.

Browse consumables →

Generic formation outline (not a prescription)

Titrate density, serum, and readout windows per the line datasheet—path for site selection only.

1.Start from log-phase 2D stock; confirm passage and mycoplasma status.
2.Gentle trypsin to single cells; count and titrate seeding by plate type.
3.Form spheroids 24–72 h on ULA (MC425) or U-bottom (MC430); log diameter and necrotic cores.
4.Dose or read out (viability / imaging); keep a matched 2D arm.
5.For in vivo follow-up use disease-model / transplant pages—do not call spheroids PDOs.

Formation plates & support reagents

Ultra-low-attachment (ULA) plates

MC425

Limits attachment; favors free aggregation—common for drug screens

U-bottom 96-well plates

MC430

Favors settling and centered imaging; complements ULA

Basement membrane extract (BME) MC411

Optional embed arm; many line spheroids start matrix-free

Collagenase MC412

Optional for passage; avoid over-digesting spheroids

Trypsin-EDTA MC401

Detach 2D stock before plating; keep spheroid splits gentle

Disease spheroid starters (quote)

Mailto prefills lines, dedicated media, and plates—not a separate kit SKU; price on request.

Lung spheroid starter

A549 / H1299 / H1975 / HCC827 / H460 / H2228 + ULA.

MC-h011 · MC-h153 · MC-h156 · MC-h068 · MC-h160 · MC-h351 · MC425 · MC401

Email quote

CRC spheroid starter

HCT116 + HT-29 + SW480 + U-bottom plates.

MC-h071 · MC-h078 · MC-h204 · MC430 · MC401

Email quote

Breast spheroid starter

MCF-7 / MDA-MB-231 / BT-474 / T47D / SK-BR-3 + ULA.

MC-h129 · MC-h133 · MC-h028 · MC-h209 · MC-h189 · MC425 · MC401

Email quote

Prostate spheroid starter

LNCaP + PC-3 + DU145 AR-spectrum panel.

MC-h125 · MC-h174 · MC-h250 · MC430 · MC401

Email quote

Pancreas spheroid starter

PANC-1 + BxPC-3 + AsPC-1; optional BME embed arm.

MC-h172 · MC-h030 · MC-h021 · MC425 · MC401 · MC411

Email quote

Melanoma spheroid starter

A375 + ULA; contrast melanoma PDO.

MC-h007 · MC425 · MC401

Email quote

Gastric spheroid starter

AGS + MKN-45 + ULA.

MC-h016 · MC-h345 · MC425 · MC401

Email quote

Bladder spheroid starter

T24 + 5637 + ULA.

MC-h208 · MC-h232 · MC425 · MC401

Email quote

Ovarian spheroid starter

SK-OV-3 + OVCAR-3 + ULA.

MC-h195 · MC-h168 · MC425 · MC401

Email quote

Glioma spheroid starter

U87MG + ULA; contrast GBM PDO / brain organoids.

MC-h224 · MC425 · MC401

Email quote

RCC spheroid starter

786-O + A498; contrast kidney tubuloid / PDO.

MC-h235 · MC-h010 · MC425 · MC401

Email quote

Endometrial spheroid starter

Ishikawa + U-bottom; log CSS for hormone arms.

MC-h113 · MC430 · MC401

Email quote

Thyroid spheroid starter

TPC-1 + ULA; contrast thyroid PDO.

MC-h309 · MC425 · MC401

Email quote

Cervical spheroid starter

HeLa.S3 + ULA; methods / cervical contrast.

MC-h090 · MC425 · MC401

Email quote

Esophageal spheroid starter

KYSE-410 + ULA; contrast esophageal PDO.

MC-h334 · MC425 · MC401

Email quote

Osteosarcoma spheroid starter

MG63 + ULA; optional collagen contrast.

MC-h140 · MC425 · MC401 · MC431

Email quote

Soft-tissue sarcoma spheroid starter

HT-1080 + ULA; optional collagen contrast.

MC-h076 · MC425 · MC401 · MC431

Email quote

Featured lines → spheroid contrast

36 in-stock featured lines with product, disease-model, and PDO contrast links.

Full cell-line catalog →

Lung6

Quote Lung spheroid starter →

Lung / NSCLC

A549

Human lung carcinoma A549

MC-h011

Classic lung adenocarcinoma spheroid contrast—not a lung PDO.

Plate: Titrate ULA or U-bottom
Seeding: Often ~1–5×10³ cells/well to seed (96-well; titrate by plate)

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Lung / NSCLC

NCI-H1299

Human NSCLC NCI-H1299

MC-h153

p53-null background—useful mechanistic contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Titrate on the same plate as A549; growth rates differ

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Lung / NSCLC

NCI-H1975

Human lung adenocarcinoma NCI-H1975

MC-h156

EGFR TKI–related spheroid contrast.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: EGFR-mutant background; keep targeted arms separate from A549

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Lung / NSCLC

HCC827

Human lung adenocarcinoma HCC827

MC-h068

EGFR TKI–sensitive spheroid contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: EGFR-sensitive mutant background; keep separate from H1975 / A549

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Lung / NSCLC

NCI-H460

Human large-cell lung carcinoma NCI-H460

MC-h160

Large-cell lung spheroid contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Fast-growing; separate from EGFR-mutant lines for chemo contrast

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Lung / NSCLC

NCI-H2228

Human NSCLC NCI-H2228

MC-h351

ALK-related spheroid contrast.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: ALK-rearrangement–related background; keep targeted arms off A549 dishes

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Colorectal3

Quote CRC spheroid starter →

Colorectal

HCT116

Human colorectal carcinoma HCT116

MC-h071

Common CRC spheroid drug screen; contrast CRC PDO.

Plate: Titrate ULA or U-bottom
Seeding: Often ~1–3×10³/well; tends to form compact spheres

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Colorectal

HT-29

Human colorectal carcinoma HT-29

MC-h078

Mucinous-leaning background; pair with HCT116 for methods.

Plate: Prefer U-bottom (MC430)
Seeding: Slightly higher seeding than HCT116 can improve uniformity

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Colorectal

SW480

Human colorectal adenocarcinoma SW480

MC-h204

CRC primary-leaning spheroid contrast.

Plate: Titrate ULA or U-bottom
Seeding: Pair with SW620 / HCT116 for metastasis-related contrast

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Breast5

Quote Breast spheroid starter →

Breast / ER+

MCF-7

Human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7

MC-h129

ER+ spheroid contrast—not a breast PDO.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Log CSS / phenol-red strategy with any hormone arm

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Breast / TNBC

MDA-MB-231

Human breast adenocarcinoma MDA-MB-231

MC-h133

Common TNBC invasion contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Lock plate and matrix lot before invasion/migration readouts

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Breast / HER2+

BT-474

Human breast carcinoma BT-474

MC-h028

HER2+ spheroid contrast.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: HER2-high; keep arms separate from MCF-7 / MDA-MB-231

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Breast / ER+

T47D

Human breast carcinoma T47D

MC-h209

Second ER+ spheroid contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Log CSS for hormone arms; pair with MCF-7

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Breast / HER2+

SK-BR-3

Human breast carcinoma SK-BR-3

MC-h189

Second HER2+ spheroid contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Forms a HER2 spheroid panel with BT-474

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Prostate3

Quote Prostate spheroid starter →

Prostate

LNCaP

Human prostate carcinoma LNCaP

MC-h125

AR-dependent contrast—do not reuse prostate PDO digestion steps.

Plate: Prefer U-bottom (MC430)
Seeding: Weakly adherent—spheroid/settling plates help; use CSS for AR arms

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Prostate

PC-3

Human prostate carcinoma PC-3

MC-h174

Low-AR / androgen-independent contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Titrate separately when screened beside LNCaP

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Prostate

DU145

Human prostate carcinoma DU145

MC-h250

Low-AR contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Forms an AR-spectrum panel with LNCaP / PC-3

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Gastric2

Quote Gastric spheroid starter →

Gastric

AGS

Human gastric adenocarcinoma AGS

MC-h016

Gastric spheroid contrast vs gastric PDO.

Plate: Titrate ULA or U-bottom
Seeding: Watch core necrosis; keep drug windows relatively short

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Gastric

MKN-45

Human gastric carcinoma MKN-45

MC-h345

Second gastric spheroid contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Pair with AGS for a gastric spheroid panel

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Bladder2

Quote Bladder spheroid starter →

Bladder

T24

Human bladder carcinoma T24

MC-h208

Bladder spheroid contrast—not a bladder PDO.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Match serum lot and passage with any 2D drug arm

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Bladder

5637

Human bladder carcinoma 5637

MC-h232

Second bladder spheroid contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Pair with T24 for a bladder spheroid panel

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Cervical1

Quote Cervical spheroid starter →

Cervical

HeLa.S3

Human cervical carcinoma HeLa.S3

MC-h090

Generic spheroid methods control; cervical PDO is separate.

Plate: Titrate ULA or U-bottom
Seeding: Handy for methods/instrument setup; confirm findings on disease-relevant lines

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

CNS1

Quote Glioma spheroid starter →

CNS / GBM

U87MG

Human glioblastoma U87MG

MC-h224

Glioma spheroid contrast—GBM PDO / brain organoids are separate.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Log any serum-free neural-supplement arm—do not equate to GBO

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Ovarian2

Quote Ovarian spheroid starter →

Ovarian

SK-OV-3

Human ovarian carcinoma SK-OV-3

MC-h195

Ovarian spheroid contrast—not an ovarian PDO.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Distinct from ascites-like readouts; lock plate before dosing

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Ovarian

OVCAR-3

Human ovarian carcinoma OVCAR-3

MC-h168

Second ovarian spheroid contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Pair with SK-OV-3; watch necrotic cores after formation

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Pancreas3

Quote Pancreas spheroid starter →

Pancreas

PANC-1

Human pancreatic carcinoma PANC-1

MC-h172

Pancreatic spheroid contrast vs pancreatic PDO.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Often compact; watch necrotic cores in drug windows

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Pancreas

BxPC-3

Human pancreatic adenocarcinoma BxPC-3

MC-h030

Common KRAS-wild-type contrast arm.

Plate: Titrate ULA or U-bottom
Seeding: Titrate separately when screened beside PANC-1

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Pancreas

AsPC-1

Human pancreatic carcinoma AsPC-1

MC-h021

Third pancreatic spheroid contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Forms a pancreas spheroid panel with PANC-1 / BxPC-3

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Melanoma1

Quote Melanoma spheroid starter →

Melanoma

A375

Human malignant melanoma A375

MC-h007

Cutaneous melanoma spheroid contrast.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Common for BRAF-related arms—not a melanoma PDO

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Kidney2

Quote RCC spheroid starter →

Kidney / RCC

786-O

Human RCC 786-O

MC-h235

RCC spheroid contrast; kidney organoids are separate.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: VHL-null background—do not call kidney tubuloids

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Kidney / RCC

A498

Human renal carcinoma A498

MC-h010

Second RCC spheroid contrast arm.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Pair with 786-O for an RCC spheroid panel

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Endometrial1

Quote Endometrial spheroid starter →

Endometrial

Ishikawa

Human endometrial carcinoma Ishikawa

MC-h113

Endometrial spheroid contrast—not an endometrial PDO.

Plate: Titrate ULA or U-bottom
Seeding: Log CSS / phenol-red strategy for hormone arms

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Thyroid1

Quote Thyroid spheroid starter →

Thyroid

TPC-1

Human papillary thyroid carcinoma TPC-1

MC-h309

Thyroid spheroid contrast.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: RET/PTC-related background; keep dishes separate from PDO

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Esophageal1

Quote Esophageal spheroid starter →

Esophageal

KYSE-410

Human esophageal SCC KYSE-410

MC-h334

Esophageal spheroid contrast.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: SCC spheroids—do not call esophageal PDO

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Osteosarcoma1

Quote Osteosarcoma spheroid starter →

Osteosarcoma

MG63

Human osteosarcoma MG63

MC-h140

Osteosarcoma spheroid contrast—not an OS PDO.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Matrix lot alters invasion; optional MC431 contrast

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Soft-tissue sarcoma1

Quote Soft-tissue sarcoma spheroid starter →

Soft-tissue sarcoma

HT-1080

Human fibrosarcoma HT-1080

MC-h076

Soft-tissue sarcoma spheroid contrast.

Plate: Prefer ULA (MC425)
Seeding: Common for invasion/matrix arms; separate from osteosarcoma

Cell-line product Disease models Dedicated medium Contrast PDO SOP

Boundaries (keep them clear)

Spheroid = cell-line 3D aggregate; organoid/PDO = tissue or adult stem cells self-organizing in niche. Same disease can run in parallel: spheroids for throughput, PDO for heterogeneity, in vivo via models/transplants.

Organoid boundary note Transplant models

Note: This hub is a spheroid workflow outline, not a substitute for cell-line or consumable datasheets. Seeding and media follow each SKU datasheet. Research use only (RUO).

Back to cell culture