Cell Guidance Systems Blog

Hydrogel matrices, either on their own or combination with implanted cells, are capable of supporting the repair of tissue injuries. A new study from researchers at Manchester University, available as a pre-print, demonstrates the safety and cell-proliferative action of PeptiGel Alpha 2 injected intracerebrally in a rat model of haemorrhagic stroke.

When you think about 3D cell culture, you probably think about Matrigel, after all, it is the current market leader in 3D cell culture. Matrigel does have limitations, however, which is something that Cell Guidance Systems are tackling with a fully synthetic alternative. This blog article will discuss the differences between Matrigel and PeptiGels, fully synthetic (and 100% animal-free) and the benefits you can expect from each.

Cell Guidance Systems is pleased to announce the availability of primary human hepatocytes for use in in-vitro toxicology assays.

Hydrogels are being increasingly for a wide range of biomedical applications including cell culture, drug delivery, tissue engineering and wound healing. This research has opened up new opportunities to provide materials that are triggerable and tuneable.

Although there are some challenges associated with using hydrogels for drug delivery systems, there has been considerable progress in recent years.

Before a drug is deemed suitable for patients, it must undergo a rigorous testing process and cost-effectiveness analyses. The testing begins in a lab where researchers investigate the process behind a disease at either cellular or molecular level. In the past, this has been completed using 2D cell culture, which is convenient and accessible, but more often, cells are grown in a complex 3D environment.

Organoids and spheroids are the most commonly used approaches for establishing 3D cell cultures. This article will explore the similarities (and differences) between how they are made and what they do.

Animal derived materials remain an important part of biological research. Progress is being made to replace these with better defined non-animal alternatives. This is a huge task. The goal of developing alternatives to materials such as FBS and Matrigel® remains elusive.

According to the RSPCA, more than 100 million live animals, mostly mice, rats, fish and birds, are used in scientific research procedures each year. Although this is modest compared to the huge number of animals killed globally for food, which includes 50 billion chickens and 1.4 billion pigs, there is a strong drive to reduce the number of animals used in research. As well as experimentation on live animals, animal-derived materials (ADMs) are used to maintain cells cultured in-vitro.

Adoptive T cell therapies such as CAR-T cells have proven effective in treating some leukemias but have struggled to be useful in solid tumours. A recent study reported in PNAS explores a way of easily functionalizing adoptive cells so that they become decorated with a cytokine of choice. In the melanoma mouse model tested, this approach led to significantly improved efficacy.