Table 5.

Advantages and disadvantages of 3-D culture methods for culture of Geodia neptuni cells in M1 medium and recommended applications for production of biomass and/or marine natural products (MNPs). $ = low cost. $$ = moderate cost.

Culture Method	Advantages	Disadvantages	Effort	Expense	Recommended Applications
FibraCel® disks	Hardy matrix retains cells	Unable to count cells	Low	$	Cell culture scale-up, aquaculture scale-up
ULTA thin hydrogel layers	Easy to visualize cells/aggregates	Delicate matrix	Mid	$$	Cell characterization and differentiation, aquaculture scale-up
ULTA GMDs	Rapid diffusion of nutrients, gases and products	Delicate matrix	High	$$	Cell metabolism studies, cell culture scale-up