Why Non-Adherent Cells

Many blood cell types and stem cells are non-adherent and therefore, require special techniques for analysis. These cells are significant for clinical diagnosis, drug discovery and stem cell therapeutics.

Blood contains seven types of non-adherent cells and many subtypes, all of which are heterogeneous and perform essential functions, from carrying oxygen to providing immunity against disease. Blood cells are most accessible for establishing clinical diagnosis assays for chronic and fatal diseases.

In stem cell research for disciplines such as immunology and hematology, non-adherent cell populations found in source materials such as cord blood, peripheral blood and bone marrow, are potentially important sources for adult primary stem cells.  Spheroids and EBs are currently the focus of stem cell research, as scientists are searching for a process to regulate stem cell differentiation into specific cell types. There is a crucial need today, to devise a method for analyzing such non-adherent cells.

In addition, the growth of non-adherent cells in suspension culture is regarded more physiological than the growth of adherent cells on two-dimensional solid substrates, and the ability to harvest such cells without trypsinization can be a particularly significant convenience, avoiding artifacts which may be generated when cells are treated with proteases.