SMARTSPHERO® MULTIWELL PLATES
24- and 96-well plates for reproducible 3D spheroid culture
SmartSphero® Multiwell Plates are ready-to-use, glass-bottom plates incorporating microstructured polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogels for controlled 3D spheroid formation and culture.
The non-adhesive hydrogel geometry promotes cell self-assembly into spheroids, while 4Dcell's Anchoring Point Technology (APT®) helps retain individual spheroids in predefined positions during medium exchange and other liquid-handling steps.
Available in 24- and 96-well formats, SmartSphero supports repeated imaging, individual spheroid tracking and integration into microscopy-based 3D cell culture workflows.
Ready-to-Use Plates
Preformed hydrogel microwell structures enable direct cell seeding without user-performed microfabrication.
Controlled Spheroid Formation
Defined microwell geometries support reproducible spheroid formation and organized 3D cell culture. Up to 95% reproducibility in shape and size.
Reduced Spheroid Loss
APT® helps retain spheroids during medium exchange and compound addition, reducing losses associated with liquid handling.
Predictable Positioning for Imaging
Anchored spheroids remain at defined locations, facilitating repeated imaging, individual tracking and automated image acquisition.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
SmartSphero Multiwell Plates combine glass-bottom imaging surfaces with microstructured PEG hydrogel inserts.
Plate configurations vary by well format and microwell geometry. The specifications below describe the documented configurations; refer to the corresponding user guide for detailed dimensions and handling instructions.
Technical parameter
Available plate formats
Plate bottom
Microwell material
Spheroid formation
Spheroid positioning
24-well configurations
96-well configurations
ECM coating
Delivery medium
Microscopy
Documentation
Specification
24-well and 96-well
Glass, #1.5 (0.16–0.19 mm)
Polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogel
Self-assembly within non-adhesive microwells
Anchoring Point Technology (APT®)
19 or 91 microwells per well
19 or 55 microwells per well
Optional, according to configuration
Water-based solution
Glass-bottom imaging with defined spheroid positions
Configuration-specific user guides
Spheroid retention during liquid handling and culture
SmartSphero incorporates Anchoring Point Technology (APT®), designed to maintain spheroids in defined microwell positions during routine liquid-handling procedures.In an internal comparison under vigorous medium-exchange conditions, spheroid loss was below 12% with APT® compared with 86% without anchoring. These results illustrate the contribution of APT® to spheroid retention under the tested conditions.Retention performance may vary depending on cell type, spheroid characteristics and liquid-handling protocol.
Spheroid retention following medium exchange, comparing microwell configurations with and without APT®. Internal 4Dcell experimental data; results are specific to the conditions tested.
Plate configurations and dimensions
SmartSphero is available in several microwell configurations designed to accommodate different spheroid formation requirements. The diagrams below illustrate the plate geometry, macrowell dimensions and individual microwell arrangements for each documented format.
96-Well Plate — 19 Microwells per Well
This configuration contains 19 hydrogel microwells within each culture well. The diagrams below show the plate and microwell geometry.
Refer to the SmartSphero 96-Well Plate User Guide for detailed specifications and handling instructions.
24-Well Plate — 19 Microwells per Well
This configuration incorporates 19 hydrogel microwells per culture well. The technical drawings below provide the dimensions and layout of the microstructured substrate.
Refer to the SmartSphero 24-Well Plate (19 Microwells) User Guide for detailed specifications and instructions.
24-Well Plate — 91 Microwells per Well
This configuration provides 91 hydrogel microwells within each culture well for parallel spheroid formation. The diagrams below show the microwell arrangement and relevant dimensions.
Refer to the SmartSphero 24-Well Plate (91 Microwells) User Guide for detailed specifications and instructions.
User guides and technical documentation
Download the configuration-specific SmartSphero user guides for detailed information on plate preparation, cell seeding, medium handling, culture procedures and technical dimensions.
Document
Guide 96-well plate
Guide 24-well plate / 19
Guide 24-well plate / 91
Link to download
Download 96-well plate user guide
Spheroid formation and culture examples
Formation of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) spheroids in SmartSphero microstructured hydrogels. Cells were seeded at 3,000 cells per microwell. The time-lapse sequence illustrates initial aggregation, spheroid compaction and subsequent growth during culture.
GFP-labeled mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) spheroids cultured in SmartSphero microwells for 72 hours.
Explore SmartSphero technology and applications
Learn how SmartSphero combines microstructured hydrogel microwells and Anchoring Point Technology (APT®) to support controlled 3D spheroid formation, stable positioning and longitudinal imaging.
Discover the technology, key benefits, experimental evidence and application examples on our main SmartSphero page.
Plates, research services & custom model development
From ready-to-use plates to custom 3D cell models.
SmartSphero® is available as ready-to-use multiwell plates for in-house experiments or as part of 4Dcell's in vitro research services.
Our team can perform spheroid-based studies using SmartSphero or work with you to develop tailored 3D cell models adapted to your cell types, biological questions and experimental readouts.
Whether you need a standardized spheroid culture platform, outsourced experiments or a fit-for-purpose model development project, 4Dcell can support your workflow from model setup to experimental analysis.