3D MEA

Reliably Record Electrical Activity from Inside Tissue Slices and Organoids

Traditional planar 2D microelectrode arrays record activity at the tissue surface. 3D MEAs extend beyond the surface using penetrating three-dimensional microelectrode array technology, enabling reliable access to electrical activity within thick tissues and 3D cell cultures by placing recording sites closer to active tissues.

Featuring a unique, precision-engineered spike electrode design, 3D MEAs are designed to record from viable cell populations located below the tissue surface, providing a powerful solution for studies involving acute hippocampal slices, organotypic slices, brain organoids, retinal organoids, and other advanced tissue models.

What Is a 3D Multielectrode Array?

3D MEAs incorporate elevated penetrating electrodes rather than conventional planar recording sites. These elevated electrodes (also referred to as spike electrodes or conical electrodes) extend into the tissue to access active cells located beneath the sample surface, making them ideal for applications where neuronal cell bodies are distributed throughout a three-dimensional structure or where superficial cell layers may not provide the strongest electrophysiological signals.

The result is improved access to neuronal activity within thicker tissues while maintaining the advantages of multi-electrode, network-level recording.

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3D MEA for Acute Tissue Slices

3D MEAs are widely used for electrophysiological recordings from acute neural tissue preparations, including:

• Acute hippocampal slices
• Cortical slices
• Cerebellar slices
• Organotypic slices
• Retinal explants

For acute slice experiments, recordings are often enhanced by positioning electrodes closer to healthy neuronal populations located beneath the cut surface. Following tissue preparation, superficial layers can contain damaged or less active cells, while deeper regions may retain stronger physiological activity. Penetrating electrodes provide access to these regions without the need for multiple individually positioned needle electrodes.

What Are the Advantages of 3D MEA for Slice Electrophysiology?

• Access to neuronal activity below the tissue surface
• High spatial resolution network recordings
• Simultaneous recordings across large tissue regions
• Compatibility with live-cell imaging
• Streamlined workflows compared with single-probe approaches

3D MEAs are particularly valuable for researchers seeking detailed network activity from acute brain slices while preserving the spatial context of the tissue.

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3D MEA for Organoids and 3D Cell Cultures

Organoids present unique recording challenges due to their inherently three-dimensional architecture. In many models, electrically active cells are distributed throughout the tissue volume, making it difficult to predict where the strongest signals will originate. For these applications, recording from inner cell layers is often essential.

3D MEAs can record from within

• Brain organoids
• Cortical organoids
• Neural spheroids
• Retinal organoids
• Cardiac organoids

Mesh MEA™ enables long-term electrophysiological recordings from the interior of intact 3D tissue models. By allowing cells to grow naturally around the mesh and electrodes, Mesh MEA preserves physiologically relevant morphology while providing access to functional signals from throughout the tissue structure.

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ALI MEA™ integrates electrophysiology, perfusion, and air-liquid interface culture in a single platform to support healthier tissues, simplified workflows, and more reproducible recordings. Better oxygen supply due to air-liquid interface. ALI MEA helps researchers generate high-quality data while reducing preparation and handling complexity

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Higher Density Arrays

Ideal for:

• Small organoids
• Local network analysis
• Fine spatial mapping

Wider Electrode Spacing

Ideal for:

• Large tissue slices
• Human tissue preparations
• Broad network coverage