In Vitro Coculture Model Development Services
Overview Our Service Related Products Service Features Key Applications Scientific Resources Q & A
Animal models have long been utilized for pre-clinical studies, providing valuable insights into disease pathobiology and therapeutic development. Nevertheless, these models have constraints in faithfully reproducing the intricacies of human biology and the advancement of diseases. In addition, experiments on animal models can be costly and time-consuming. To address these challenges, Creative Biolabs offers a range of services to develop in vitro co-culture models that incorporate human lesion cells. These models offer a more cost-effective and efficient alternative for studying diseases, enabling researchers to conduct targeted and meaningful studies. With our expertise and cutting-edge platform, we are committed to supporting global customers in their research and therapeutic development efforts.
Fig.1 The communication between different types of macrophages and cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment.1
Overview of Macrophage Coculture Models
In recent years, in vitro coculture systems have emerged as powerful tools to recapitulate the complex microenvironment and cell–cell interactions involving macrophages. These systems enable researchers to mimic in vivo immune dynamics, evaluate immunomodulatory effects of drugs, and dissect disease mechanisms in a controlled, reproducible manner.
Traditional monolayer macrophage cultures fall short in capturing the complexity of intercellular communication. In contrast, coculture systems allow dynamic interactions between macrophages and other cells—immune, epithelial, endothelial, fibroblasts, or cancer cells—thus creating more physiologically relevant models.
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Feature
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Advantages
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Bidirectional signaling
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Captures real-time cell-cell interactions and paracrine signaling
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Disease-relevant microenvironments
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Models tumor stroma, inflamed tissue, fibrotic lesions, etc.
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Flexible composition
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Incorporates various cell types, including patient-derived primary cells
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Custom stimulation
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Allows LPS, IFN-γ, IL-4, or tumor CM-based macrophage polarization
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Multiplex readouts
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Compatible with cytokine arrays, RNA-seq, flow cytometry, microscopy
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In Vitro Macrophage Coculture Model Development Services at Creative Biolabs
Creative Biolabs offers advanced in vitro coculture models that serve as valuable tools for investigating disease mechanisms and evaluating the effectiveness and safety of therapeutic interventions. We achieve desirable modes by directly or indirectly coculturing macrophages with other cells. Our services are compatible with multiple cell types such as T cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and many others. Both primary cells and cell lines are applied to develop targeted coculture models.
Fig.2 Simplified illustration of our coculturing strategies.
In addition, we offer various advanced technologies for the analysis and verification of coculture models. If you have unique requirements, our experienced specialist team is willing to provide support for optimal and customized model development schemes. Importantly, Creative Biolabs' efficient 2D and 3D models help you generate reliable data while saving time and resources.
Design and implement personalized models tailored to the specific needs of your research projects, the services that we are able to provide include:
Creative Biolabs has established a modular and scalable pipeline for coculture macrophage model design.
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Step
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Description
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Project Consultation
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We initiate with a comprehensive consultation to define the research objectives, cell types, polarization protocols, and preferred readouts.
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Macrophage Sourcing and Differentiation
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We can source primary human or mouse monocytes, or use well-characterized cell lines (e.g., THP-1, U937, RAW264.7), and differentiate them into M0, M1, or M2 macrophages based on the desired immune phenotype.
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Partner Cell Preparation
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Depending on the application, we provide epithelial cells (e.g., A549, Caco-2), endothelial cells (HUVEC), fibroblasts, stem cells, or cancer cell lines (e.g., MDA-MB-231, HT-29) for coculture.
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Model Configuration
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We support a variety of model formats.
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Direct coculture (2D contact)
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Transwell coculture (soluble interaction)
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3D spheroid or organoid coculture
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Microfluidic chip-based systems
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Functional Analysis
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We provide detailed analysis of:
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Data Reporting & Follow-up
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Clients receive a full report including experimental configuration, representative images, quantitative data, and optional raw data files.
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Related Products
Having successfully developed and optimized an in vitro macrophage coculture model, we are proud to introduce a range of macrophage products. These products include primary macrophages, macrophage cell lines and assay kits.
By combining coculture model development services and premium macrophage products, we provide researchers with a powerful tool to help them better understand macrophage biology and contribute to disease mechanism research and new drug development.
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Cat.No
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Product Name
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Product Type
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MTS-0922-JF6
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Human M1 Macrophages, Peripheral Blood (Age: 32), 5 x 10^6
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Human M1 Macrophages
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MTS-0922-JF99
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Human M0 Macrophages, 1.5 x 10^6
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Human M0 Macrophages
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MTS-0922-JF8
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Human M1 Macrophages, Peripheral Blood (Age: 38), 5 x 10^6
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Human M1 Macrophages
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MTS-0922-JF9
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Human M1 Macrophages, Peripheral Blood (Age: 30), 5 x 10^6
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Human M1 Macrophages
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MTS-0922-JF34
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CD1 Mouse Macrophages
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CD1 Mouse Macrophages
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MTS-1123-HM6
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Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (MCSF) ELISA Kit, Colorimetric
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Detection Kit
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MTS-1123-HM15
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Macrophage Chemokine Ligand 19 (CCL19) ELISA Kit, qPCR
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Detection Kit
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MTS-1123-HM17
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Macrophage Chemokine Ligand 4 (CCL4) ELISA Kit, Colorimetric
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Detection Kit
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MTS-1123-HM49
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Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) ELISA Kit, Colorimetric
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Detection Kit
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MTS-1123-HM42
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Macrophage Receptor with Collagenous Structure ELISA Kit, Colorimetric
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Detection Kit
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Service Features
Multiple Options
2D/3D coculture systems with various immune or non-immune cell types
Flexible Formats
Transwell, spheroids, organoids, or microfluidic chips
Multiparametric Assay Endpoints
Cytokine profiling, flow cytometry, gene expression
Key Applications
Our in vitro coculture models are widely applicable across various biomedical domains:
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Neuroinflammation - Microglia-neuron coculture for Alzheimer's or Parkinson's research and inflammatory mediator assays following LPS or α-synuclein stimulation
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Cancer immunology - Tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) models using coculture with breast, colon, or lung cancer cells and evaluating macrophage reprogramming by checkpoint inhibitors or nanomedicines
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Infectious diseases - Macrophage-pathogen cocultures (e.g., Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Salmonella) and host-pathogen interaction analysis in co-infected microenvironments
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Tissue regeneration & fibrosis - Macrophage-fibroblast cocultures to model fibrotic activation and use in biomaterial response studies and wound healing simulations
Scientific Resources
Q & A
Q: What sources of macrophages can be used for your service? Can I provide my own cells?
A: We support a variety of macrophage cell sources to meet different experimental needs, including but not limited to:
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Cell line sources: Human-derived THP-1, U937, mouse-derived RAW264.7.
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Primary cells: Monocytes derived from PBMCs induced to differentiate by M-CSF or GM-CSF.
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iPSC-derived: Macrophages obtained by iPSC differentiation, suitable for precision medicine research.
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Client provided: If you have cells from a specific source, we can use and integrate them into your experimental protocols in compliance with biosafety regulations.
We will recommend the best cell source for the purpose of your project, and you are welcome to provide specific cells or suggestions.
Q: Is it possible to simulate disease states such as hypoxia, inflammation or specific microenvironments in co-culture models?
A: Absolutely. We can finely tune the environmental variables of the co-culture system, including hypoxia, high sugar or acidic pH conditions or conditioned media, according to your research objectives.
Q: Can you customize special models or experimental procedures for me?
A: Absolutely. Creative Biolabs features a highly customizable service capability, and we can assist no matter how complex or exploratory your project is. We encourage our clients to engage with us early in their experiments to build innovative, translatable modeling platforms.
Q: What is included in the final report provided?
A: We provide a detailed experimental report, which includes:
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Project overview and experimental design process
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Cell source and processing process
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Description of culture/co-culture conditions
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All raw data and statistical analysis
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Visualization results: flow charts, fluorescence plots, ELISA result curves, and qPCR histograms
References
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Balážová, Katarína, Hans Clevers, and Antonella FM Dost. "The role of macrophages in non-small cell lung cancer and advancements in 3D co-cultures." Elife 12 (2023): e82998. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.82998
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Distributed under Open Access license CC BY 4.0, without modification.
