Frequently Ask Questions

Will just any thermogel work for this?

No, testing at Akina, Inc. has concluded that several typical thermogelling polymers are poorly suited for this application. Either they are opaque (which obscures microscope visualization and hinders usability) or they grow cells poorly.
 

Can non-cancerous cells be grown on 3DCellMaker?

The testing thus far has been performed using cancerous cells though theoretically non-cancerous cell lines can be applied to this polymer as well.
 

Does your product contain any biological contaminants/will it induce specific interactions?

The thermogels utilized for this material are synthetic polymers not derived from animal or human origin. As such there is no protein or antigen content to these polymers.
 

You suggest not resuspending the cell pellet in 3DCellMaker, why?

Testing at Akina has indicated that directly resuspending the cell pellet in 3DCellMaker leads to highly delayed and poor spheroidal growth. Spheroids can be grown in this situation but the time required is > 5 days of incubation. Similarly, attempting to cold-seed cells onto A3DH (which is optimized for hot seeding) leads to delayed spheroidal growth.
 

What are some advantages of 3DCellMaker vs Matrigel® and similar extracellular matrices (ECM)?

Synthetic: Batch to batch reproducible. No variability as with biologically derived ECMs. Contains no growth factors which may affect cell growth. This allows the end user to use the medium of their choice, including serum free media.
 

Easier to work with: 3DCellMaker has a higher thermal transition point when compared to Matrigel® and similar ECM. No need to keep lab equipment and reagents chilled. 3DCellMaker retains easy to work with flow characteristics at room temperature. Also 3DCellMaker can be stored in solution at refrigerated conditions so there is no need to wait for thawing as with other ECMs which must be stored frozen.
 

Easier to harvest 3D cell structures: Other ECMs such as Matrigel® require additional reagents (Corning Dispase or Corning Cell Recovery Solution or other proteolytic enzymes). 3DCellMakers are thermally reversible. All that is required to harvest cells is to cool plate/culture vessel to return the gel to a liquid state. Cells can then be physically extracted.
 

Matrigel® is a registered trademark of Corning Life Sciences. Akina, Inc. is not affiliated with Corning Life Sciences and does not represent them.

Can 3DCellMaker be 3D printed?

Akina, Inc. has launched a joint project with additive engineering firm Hatch51 for the creation of a 3D gel-printing system optimized for printing of Akina’s synthetic thermogelling 3DCellmaker. The printer will allow for low-temperature, gentle, printing of the thermogelling polymer solution so as to allow for printing of live-cell loaded solution to form 3D structures and tissues. Such a system has promise for a wide array of future applications. Those interested in the hardware portion of the system are encouraged to contact Hatch51 via www.hatch51.com.