Julia Swavola, Ph.D.
Scientific discovery is often propelled by tools that address the day-to-day challenges researchers face. For decades, the Transwell system has been the go-to method for microbial and cellular co-culture experiments with physically isolated populations. Yet, ask any researcher who has spent hours hunched over Transwell plates, carefully pipetting media or repositioning reservoirs, and you’ll hear a familiar refrain: the love-hate relationship with this essential yet tedious tool.
As a former postdoctoral fellow in the Pathology and Nephrology Departments at UCSF, I know this all too well. Transwell supports were central to my research on rare Cystic Fibrosis (CF) mutations. I relied on them to culture human pulmonary cells for high-throughput small molecule screening. While I hoped that my work would one day keep kids with CF healthier, I couldn’t ignore the constant frustrations of using these supports. Every experiment carried the risk of contamination or damage to the fragile filters. Tedious media changes consumed hours of my week, and any slip—a torn filter, liquid contamination—meant the loss of precious cells and wasted time.
That’s why the Duet Co-Culture Plate, developed by Cerillo, feels revolutionary. Designed by researchers for researchers, Duet addresses the pain points of traditional systems, delivering new capabilities that make co-culture studies easier, faster, and more reproducible.
Addressing Universal Challenges in Co-Culture
While my work focused on human pulmonary cells, these challenges resonate across research fields. Whether working with microbial communities or mammalian cells, the Transwell system’s top-bottom reservoir orientation, fragile membranes, and complex workflows make even basic tasks like media exchange or population sampling nerve-wracking.
For microbial researchers, the stakes can be even higher. A single drop of liquid transferring between reservoirs can compromise entire experiments. The awkward pipetting angles and tight spaces of the Transwell plates often increase contamination risk or lead to costly filter damage. These frustrations limit throughput and force researchers to focus as much on avoiding technical errors as on the science itself.
The Duet Difference: Built for Precision and Ease
Cerillo’s Duet Co-Culture Plate was designed to overcome these challenges. Its unique features set it apart from the Transwell system in ways that fundamentally change how researchers approach co-culture experiments:
- Real-Time Data Collection: Unlike Transwell systems, Duet enables real-time quantitative analysis of both cell populations. Compatibility with plate readers and other assays allows researchers to gather dynamic data throughout an experiment.
- Scalable and Automated: Duet is optimized for automation, making it compatible with liquid handlers and high-throughput workflows. Media changes, sampling, and assay setup become faster and more reliable.
- Superior to Plating: The current method to for collecting quantitative data on population dynamics is plating. Compared to plating, the data that is collected is an order of magnitude more precise, studying liquid culture instead of colony counting makes data available1-2 days sooner, data is recorded dynamically and automatically rather than by plate counting is less expensive because it doesn’t rely on agar plates
- Side-by-Side Reservoir Orientation: Duet’s horizontally oriented reservoirs eliminate the sloshing and contamination risks associated with vertical setups. This design makes pipetting faster, easier and minimizes the risk of contamination, ensuring consistency even during large-scale studies.
- Robust Membrane Design: The vertically oriented permeable membrane is sturdy enough to handle routine manipulations without tearing, reducing experiment loss due to accidental damage.
Empowering New Research Possibilities
Duet isn’t just a refinement of existing tools—it’s opening new possibilities for microbial and cellular interaction studies. Researchers are already using Duet to investigate microbial dynamics with greater precision, including studies of antimicrobial resistance and interactions between co-cultured species. Its design allows for deeper insights into how microbes positively cooperate or negatively compete, critical for understanding microbial community functions.
The system has also proven valuable in mammalian cell research. For example, its ease of use and scalability are ideal for studying cellular communication or high-throughput screening of potential therapeutic compounds. The ability to collect real-time data from both sides of the membrane enhances experiment reliability and accelerates discovery.
As one microbial researcher noted, “With Transwell, we were constantly troubleshooting: managing contamination risks, redoing damaged experiments, or struggling with downstream data collection. Duet has removed these hurdles, letting us focus on the science.”
A Tool Designed by Scientists, for Scientists
Cerillo’s Duet Co-Culture Plate is a testament to what can be achieved when researchers drive tool development. By simplifying workflows and eliminating common frustrations, Duet enables scientists to pursue their most ambitious questions with confidence. Whether you’re investigating the interplay between microbes in a community or advancing therapeutic research, Duet is here to help you focus on the science—not the setbacks.
As researchers, we know what’s at stake in every experiment. The Duet Co-Culture Plate was built to support you in pushing boundaries, improving reproducibility, and scaling up your work. We can’t wait to see what discoveries you’ll make.