The first important steps in this di

The first important steps in this direction have already been taken. Tung et al. [13] developed a robot-assisted hanging-drop culture, allowing the production of up to 384 spheroids in a single array (Figure 1). Neto et al. [14] demonstrated that high-throughput hanging-drop cultures can be generated at low costs on patterned superhydrophobic biomimetic surfaces. The combina- tion of such hanging-drop systems with sophisticated digital microfluidic platforms enables controlled nutrient supply and interspheroid metabolic communication, as well as detailed quality analyses during the production process [15]. The formation of spheroids on nonadhesive hydrogels is even suitable for scaling up to thousands of spheroids per well [16]. The hydrogel approach also enables the generation of more complex cell aggregates, including rods, tori, and honeycombs [17]. In addition, Fonoudi et al. [18] recently introduced a novel platform for the large-scale production of clinical-grade human cardiomyocyte spheroids (or cardiospheres) from pluripotent stem cells. This innovative bioprocessing platform may provide sufficient numbers of cardiospheres for the regeneration or replacement of injured heart tissue.