# VivoSpheres: Tissue-Engineered Spheroidal Models for High-Throughput Screening

> **NIH NIH R43** · VIVOSPHERE LLC · 2024 · $350,000

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The development of three-dimensional (3D) disease models has paved the way for accelerated
design, discovery, and validation of potential targets and drug compounds, thereby significantly
reducing the time, cost, and labor involved in the drug discovery pipeline. 3D spheroidal cell
aggregate models have been established as more accurate and predictive than two-dimensional
(2D) models for drug screening. However, current commercial techniques for spheroidal tissue
formation rely heavily on the self-aggregation of single cells and have substantial limitations
concerning production consistency, control, and flexibility. That makes VivoSphere a
breakthrough product. VivoSpheres are cell-laden hydrogel microspheres that are produced
rapidly using our microfluidic platform. Compared to self-aggregation systems, incorporation of
hydrogel matrices in VivoSpheres can improve the consistency of tissues in size and shape, which
is critical in getting high-quality results in high-throughput screening (HTS), and provide the ability
to manipulate the cellular microenvironment, which is an important driver of appropriate cell
phenotype and function. The cell types will no longer be limited to self-aggregating cells. Instead,
there will be great flexibility in selecting either aggregating or non-aggregating cells, and even
multiple cell types for co-encapsulation. This project will use cancer cells to demonstrate the high
consistency of VivoSpheres as more suitable for HTS compared to self-aggregation systems,
establish the ability to form VivoSpheres using non-aggregating cancer cells, and optimize key
assays used in HTS. The outcome of this project will remove potential roadblocks to building
disease-specific models for HTS. VivoSphere is VivoSphere LLC’s first product and is protected
by non-provisional patents.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10921674
- **Project number:** 1R43TR004754-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** VIVOSPHERE LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael W Greene
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $350,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-22 → 2026-05-23

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10921674

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10921674, VivoSpheres: Tissue-Engineered Spheroidal Models for High-Throughput Screening (1R43TR004754-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10921674. Licensed CC0.

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