Description
HyStem®-C hydrogels provide an excellent starting point for optimizing the matrix for cell culture. HyStem-C is fully chemically-defined and based on three biocompatible components: thiol-modified hyaluronan (Glycosil), thiol-reactive crosslinker, PEGDA (Extralink), and thiol-modified denatured collagen (Gelin-S®). Gelin-S provides basic cell-attachment sites for a wide variety of primary cells and cell lines and is therefore recommended as an ideal substrate for adherent cell types and for cell culture optimization. In some cases, HyStem-C hydrogels can be further enhanced by the addition of ECM proteins to match native signals.
Product may be shipped ambient, but please store at -20C until ready for use.
Features
- Hydrogels are suitable for culturing primary cells, stem cells and cell lines.
- Cells can be encapsulated or grown on the hydrogel surface in any format, including culture flasks, 6- to 384-well plates or tissue culture inserts.
- Hydrogels can be easily customized by the user to possess the desired stiffness and gelation time by manipulating component concentration and mixing ratios.
- Customizable gelation properties including gelation time and hydrogel stiffness.
Gelation
Reconstituted HyStem-C components remain liquid at 15 to 37°C. The hydrogel is formed when the crosslinking agent, Extralink® (PEGDA) is added to a mixture of Glycosil®(thiol-modified hyaluronan) and Gelin-S® (thiol-modified gelatin). Gelation occurs in about twenty minutes after all three components are mixed. No steps depend on low temperatures or low pH. Diluting the components with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or cell-culture medium can increase the gelation time.
3D Cell Recovery Matrix
For application where cell recovery is critical, the alternative crosslinker PEGSSDA is available for use with all HyStem, HyStem-C and HyStem-HP kits. This crosslinker provides the same advantages offered by Extralink with the additional benefit of containing easily reducible internal bonds. This allows for fast, easy recovery of single cells or clusters from the hydrogel for applications like RNA analysis or flow cytometry instead of slow enzymatic methods that can impact cell viability. Researchers are encouraged to contact us to determine the compatibility of particular cell types or culture systems with PEGSSDA.
