{"id":7212,"date":"2026-08-22T22:59:57","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T20:59:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zencellowl.com\/?page_id=7212"},"modified":"2026-08-22T23:18:51","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T21:18:51","slug":"spheroid-growth-monitoring","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/zencellowl.com\/fr\/spheroid-growth-monitoring\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a spheroid and why is it used?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"7212\" class=\"elementor elementor-7212\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f4015cf e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"f4015cf\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eb2e84f elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"eb2e84f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Spheroid growth monitoring tracks the size, morphology, and viability of 3D cell aggregates over time using brightfield live cell imaging inside the CO\u2082 incubator. zenCELL owl images spheroids in all 24 wells continuously without disruption, measuring spheroid diameter and area at every timepoint automatically.<\/p>\n\n<hr>\n\n<h2>What is a spheroid and why is it used?<\/h2>\n<p>A spheroid is a three-dimensional cell aggregate formed when cells are cultured under non-adherent conditions \u2014 ultra-low attachment plates, hanging drop, or spinner flask. Spheroids better recapitulate in vivo tumour architecture than 2D monolayer cultures: they develop oxygen, nutrient, and drug penetration gradients that influence cell behaviour, drug sensitivity, and gene expression. They are widely used in oncology drug screening, toxicology, and tissue engineering.<\/p>\n\n<h2>How does zenCELL owl monitor spheroid growth?<\/h2>\n<p>zenCELL owl captures brightfield time-lapse images of spheroids in multiwell plates inside the CO\u2082 incubator. Its software automatically measures spheroid cross-sectional area (\u00b5m\u00b2) and diameter (\u00b5m) at each timepoint, generating a growth curve per well. No manual measurement in ImageJ required. The plate never leaves the incubator \u2014 no disruption to spheroid culture conditions.<\/p>\n\n<h2>What spheroid formats are compatible?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Ultra-low attachment 24-well and 96-well plates (single spheroid per well)<\/li>\n<li>Hanging drop plates<\/li>\n<li>Standard well plates with methylcellulose or Matrigel overlay<\/li>\n<li>Any format where spheroid is visible in brightfield from below<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>Can zenCELL owl image spheroid interiors or perform Z-stacking?<\/h2>\n<p>No. zenCELL owl is a brightfield widefield imager \u2014 it images the spheroid footprint and profile from below. It does not perform optical sectioning, Z-stacking, or confocal imaging of spheroid interiors. For internal spheroid structure (necrotic core, proliferating rim, invasion fronts), confocal or light sheet microscopy is required.<\/p>\n\n<h2>What has been published on spheroid imaging with zenCELL owl?<\/h2>\n<p>Ferreira et al. (2023), Toxins \u2014 monitored Caco-2 intestinal spheroid growth and mycotoxin cytotoxicity over 48 hours using zenCELL owl continuous brightfield imaging inside the incubator.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Can zenCELL owl measure spheroid drug response?<\/h2>\n<p>Yes. After drug treatment, zenCELL owl tracks spheroid size change over time. Drug response appears as growth inhibition (flattened size curve) or spheroid shrinkage (decreasing area). Combined with brightfield morphology \u2014 compact vs. loose aggregate, dark necrotic core \u2014 this gives a multi-parameter readout of drug effect without staining.<\/p>\n\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr><th>Parameter<\/th><th>zenCELL owl<\/th><th>Manual Imaging<\/th><\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Wells monitored<\/td><td>24 simultaneously<\/td><td>1 at a time<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Incubator disruption<\/td><td>None<\/td><td>Every timepoint<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Size measurement<\/td><td>Automatic (\u00b5m\u00b2, \u00b5m)<\/td><td>Manual ImageJ<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Z-stack \/ confocal<\/td><td>No<\/td><td>Depends on microscope<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Kinetic resolution<\/td><td>Every 5 min \u2013 4h, continuous<\/td><td>Limited by operator<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/zencellowl.com\/live-remotedemo\/\"><strong>Book a free demo \u2192<\/strong><\/a> See spheroid growth monitoring live across 24 wells.<\/p>\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [\n    { \"@type\": \"Question\", \"name\": \"How do I monitor spheroid growth without opening the incubator?\", \"acceptedAnswer\": { \"@type\": \"Answer\", \"text\": \"zenCELL owl sits inside the CO\u2082 incubator and images spheroids in brightfield continuously, measuring diameter and area automatically at each timepoint. 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