Thin fluorinated polymer film microcavity arrays for 3D cell culture and label-free automated feature extraction.

There is an increasing need for automated label-free morphometric analysis using brightfield microscopy images of 3D cell culture systems. This requires automated feature detection which can be achieved by improving the image contrast, by reducing the refractive index mismatch in the light path. Here, a novel microcavity platform fabricated using microthermoforming of thin fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP) films which match the refractive index of cell culture medium and provide a homogenous background signal intensity is described.