Cells & Cell Culture
3D cell culture systems give cells the shape, mechanical cues, and cell-to-cell contact of real tissue. This lets you move beyond flat monolayers to models that better reflect biology in the body.
Three product families cover this area. Fully defined synthetic hydrogel systems use functionalised dextran and PVA polymers. They come in fast-gelling and slow-gelling formulations with tuneable stiffness to match your workflow, and contain no animal-derived components. Separate crosslinkers let you fine-tune gel mechanics for a specific cell type or condition. Thiol-containing modifiers give you further options for adjusting gel chemistry.
Xeno-free organoid and stem cell media support 3D culture for several cell types. These include intestinal organoids, general organoid maintenance, iPSCs, neural stem cells, and mesenchymal stem cells. Each formulation is matched to the metabolic and signalling needs of your target cell type.
Cell-instructive bioinks are functionalised with peptide motifs such as RGD, IKVAV, YIGSR, collagen-mimetic, and MMP-cleavable sequences. They extend 3D culture into extrusion-based bioprinting. These scaffolds guide cell adhesion, neural outgrowth, or matrix remodelling, depending on the motif you choose for your model.
Organoid and tumour spheroid culture
Matrix-embedded hydrogels support intestinal, pancreatic, liver, and tumour organoids, building tissue-like architecture 2D culture cannot match.
Mechanobiology and stem cell fate
Hydrogels with tuneable stiffness let you study how matrix mechanics direct stem cell lineage commitment and cancer cell invasion.
Bioprinting and tissue engineering
Peptide-functionalised bioinks with RGD and MMP-cleavable motifs print constructs modelling vascular and neural tissue for regenerative medicine.
Neural and vascular 3D modelling
IKVAV and YIGSR peptide matrices promote neurite outgrowth and endothelial organisation, supporting blood-brain barrier and iPSC-derived neural culture.
Cell therapy and injectable delivery
Neutral pH, cross-link-free hydrogels such as VitroGel work as an injectable delivery vehicle, improving cell retention and viability.
Scale-up culture and biomanufacturing
3D hollow fibre bioreactors simplify how you grow and harvest cells, giving cleaner recovery than traditional 2D culture methods.
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Scaffold-based systems embed cells within a hydrogel, extracellular matrix extract, or synthetic matrix. This gives structural support and biochemical cues. Scaffold-free methods, such as ultra-low-attachment plates or the hanging-drop method, let cells aggregate by gravity or surface repulsion into spheroids without added matrix.
Scaffold-based systems better recreate the native extracellular environment. Scaffold-free spheroids are simpler and avoid matrix batch variability.
Animal-derived matrices contain undefined growth factors and vary between lots. This can create confounders in studies of specific signalling pathways. Synthetic hydrogels provide a chemically defined, xeno-free environment where you can vary stiffness, adhesion ligand density, and degradability independently. This gives you greater experimental control and supports regulatory-compliant workflows.
The recovery method depends on the hydrogel chemistry. Enzymatic depolymerisation, competitive peptide displacement, or temperature-responsive dissolution work for specific hydrogel types. Physical disruption followed by trypsin digestion suits some systems but may damage cells.
When you do not need to recover intact cells, assay-compatible approaches work well. These include direct RNA extraction or cell lysis within the gel.
Xeno-free organoid media formulations are validated for intestinal, gastric, colonic, and general organoid maintenance, as well as neural stem cell and iPSC 3D culture. Compatibility with pancreatic, liver, and lung organoids varies by protocol. Match the specific growth factor requirements of each organoid type to the medium formulation you choose.
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