Abstract
This paper reports a method for the automatic generation of hanging drops (HDs) for sustained three-dimensional (3D) cell culture. HDs emerge automatically through openings at the bottom of a microfluidic channel, which provides a means of and control over the mass transport into and out of the HD. We demonstrated the automatic formation of an array of HDs of various sizes using a microfluidic device and the loading of polystyrene beads and HL60 leukemic cells into HDs. Copyright © (2011) by the Chemical and Biological Microsystems Society.