Angiogenesis Assays in Slide Format

Ibidi has released a new carrier for angiogenesis assays, the µ-Slide Angiogenesis, during Analytica 2008. Angiogenesis is one of the fastest growing research fields, as the formation of new blood vessels plays a crucial role in the developmental biology of embryos as well as in cancer research. The most established assays used to analyze new vessel formation in vitro are the tube formation and the sprouting assay. In both cases, the formation of new blood vessels is simulated on a gel matrix. We have developed a well-in-a-well structure, which drastically reduces the amount of matrix material and solves the classic meniscus problems. Via the miniaturized system of the inner well, the required amount of matrix is reduced to a value of 10 µl. The unique geometry of the slide places the cells that need to be imaged in the same focal plane, which strongly improves the imaging quality of the assays, says Roman Zantl, the companys head of R&D.