Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Introduction
Our team have collated the questions we are asked on a regular basis about our products and provided answers and solutions here. Click on the appropriate section and question to find out more and get useful advice on how to improve your research results.
What would you like to know?
Material Properties & Handling
PeptiGels® are animal-free, fully defined synthetic hydrogels. They are biocompatible, injectable and sprayable making them suitable for both in vitro and in vivo applications.
If bubbles are present in your PeptiGels®, they can be removed by gentle centrifugation at 3000 rpm for 1 minute.
PeptiGels® have a range of mechanical stiffness and charges to allow you find the most suitable environment for your cells’ needs. We also offer a bespoke design service to create PeptiGels specific to your research needs. We can provide you with specific rheological characterisation data for your sample for a small fee.
You can dilute PeptiGels® with our specially formulated, ready to use solution, PeptiSol®, which is specifically designed to help you achieve your desired mechanical strength/s. We also supply specific mechanical strength PeptiGels® as required.
Interested in exploring how hydrogel stiffness affects cell behaviour? If yes, then we recommend you try a set of experiments with our Mechanical Kits which contain 3 PeptiGels® with varying stiffness’.
You do not need to work on ice while working with PeptiGels® as they are stable at room temperature.
PeptiGels® have been designed to gel at room temperature by the addition of cell culture media (contains salts). The ionic salts present in the media screen the charges present on the peptide fibres which causes them to aggregate and induce gelation.
PeptiGels® have a shelf-life of 12 months once open. Please note, we also advise that PeptiGels® are stored at 4°C.
PeptiGels® are low viscosity gels and can be pipetted easily using positive displacement pipettes. Get in touch if you need these as we can supply at cost price.
Cell Culture
PeptiGels® are nanofibrous porous hydrogels. Cells are able to migrate within the hydrogel making them also suitable for migration-based assays.
The maximum duration of cells in PeptiGels® culture is dependent on the cell type and experimental set up. Cells have been cultured in PeptiGels® up to 30 days. We have specific protocols to guide you towards cell culture and long stability of the gels. Please see our protocols webpage for further details.
PeptiGels® are suitable for a broad range of cell densities from 1–40 million cells/mL in various studies. The cell density needed is usually dependent on your experimental set up and intended outcomes. As a guide for 2D cultures, a cell seeding density comparable to that used on standard tissue culture is recommended. For 3D cultures, the most commonly used cell density is 1-4 million cells/mL.
Either one is possible depending on your experimental set up and intended outcomes. We have specific protocols to guide you in setting up cultures to add cells on top of PeptiGels (2-dimensional cell culture) or cells encapsulated within PeptiGels® (3-dimensional cell culture).
When using PeptiGels® for the first time, we recommend our Starter Pack. This kit contains five PeptiGels® with a range of mechanical and functional properties for you to test with your cells and identify the most suitable hydrogel for your cells’ needs.
We have developed a range of bioinks suitable for bioprinting.
Find out more on our PeptiInk® product page.
PeptiGels® have been shown to support the growth of cells in 2-dimensions, 3-dimensions, in co-culture systems and into spheroids and organoids. These have been used for tissue and disease modelling, regenerative medicine applications, vehicles for the targeted and controlled delivery of therapeutics and also incorporation within medical devices. A full range of cells have been studied ranging from cardiac to skin to bone and also a full range of animal and human derived stem cells for proliferation and differentiation.
PeptiGels® have been shown to support and promote the growth of an ever expanding list of cells. Examples include primary cells such as fibroblasts, neuronal cells and endothelial cells, transformed cell lines such as MCF-7 cells and stem cells such as induced pluripotent stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells.
Analytical Studies
PeptiGels® are compatible with most molecular techniques such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR), western immunoblotting and proteomic analysis. Please see our detailed protocols on sample preparation for these analyses.
Cells cultured in PeptiGels® can be stained with fluorescent dyes and immunological reagents. Please see detailed protocols on sample preparation for staining procedures.
PeptiGels® are transparent gels, hence compatible with a diverse range of microscopic techniques including optical, fluorescent and confocal microscopes.
Ordering
We aim to get your PeptiGel® to you as quickly aspossible. Once we have received your order, your PeptiGels® will typically arrive within a week depending on location.
Simply call us on +44 (0) 1625 238800 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll get your order sorted quickly and easily.
Get in touch
For more information about our technology, our products or how we can support your research please get in touch:
Mereside, Alderley Park, Alderley Edge, Cheshire SK10 4TG