Bio-Techne, a leading developer and manufacturer of high quality purified proteins, has released MimEX GI, a new product line for generating 3-dimensional (3-D) gastrointestinal tissue on a 2-D surface.

3-D cell culture and organoid models of the gastrointestinal epithelium are quickly being adopted for toxicology, drug discovery, and disease modeling. These more complex models provide a tremendous benefit over cell line- and primary cell-based methods by mimicking native intestinal cytoarchitecture and recapitulating physiological attributes of the tissue. Researchers using current 3-D models, such as gastrointestinal organoids, experience difficulties with model variability, tissue viability, and experimental accessibility. Overcoming these obstacles is paramount for the logistical incorporation of 3-D tissues into high throughput toxicity and disease modeling workflows.

The MimEX GI platform is an innovative human tissue model system that utilizes the unique characteristics of adult ground-state stem cells to generate 3-D gastrointestinal epithelial tissue on a 2-D surface. This 3-D culture system was developed from published works by Drs. Wa Xian and Frank McKeon and provides unparalleled accessibility to in vitro-generated gastrointestinal tissue. 3-D tissue generated using the MimEX GI system is an ideal tool for basic developmental biology studies as well as for studying diseases and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastric cancer, celiac disease, and Crohn's disease.

The MimEX GI system consists of specialized media and reagents that allow for the expansion and differentiation of ground-state adult stem cell populations from the gastrointestinal tract, while maintaining their regional specificity. 3-D tissue generated using the MimEX GI system displays native organ cytoarchitecture, including crypt-like structures, gut epithelial polarity, goblet cells, paneth cells, and endocrine cells. The MimEX GI platform makes in vivo-like 3-D gastrointestinal tissue broadly accessible to both academic and industrial laboratories, including a licensing programme for its use in commercial applications.

Dave Eansor, senior vice president of the biotech division of Bio-Techne, commented, "We are excited to release the MimEX GI system as the first tissue available for our new 3-D cell culture platform, MimEX Tissue Model Systems. Our partnership with Multiclonal Therapeutics to develop, market, and distribute their novel technology has yielded a versatile and accessible tissue culture system that will be a critical tool for the advancement of disease modeling, drug screening, biomarker discovery, and novel therapeutic discovery."

Bio-Techne Corporation is a leading developer and manufacturer of high quality purified proteins––notably cytokines and growth factors, antibodies, immunoassays, as well as biologically active small molecule compounds and ACD's in situ hybridization detection products---which are sold to biomedical researchers and clinical research laboratories; these operations constitute the core Biotech Division, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.