Sigma-Aldrich offers new stem cell hydrogel kit

Sigma-Aldrich today announced an agreement with US biotech, Glycosan BioSystems, for the sale of HyStem, a fully customisable synthetic extracellular matrix (ECM) for stem cell research.

HyStem offers researchers flexibility to tailor microenvironments for their cultured cells that mimic natural in vivo conditions, optimising stem cell proliferation and differentiation. HyStem was developed by Glycosan BioSystems and will be sold by Sigma-Aldrich under a non-exclusive distribution agreement.

The HyStem platform consists of hydrogel cell culture scaffolds that provide a complex, three dimensional environment in which cells are able to proliferate, much as they would in vivo. Composed of hyaluronic acid and denatured collagen, HyStem’s synthetic matrix offers greater control of the cellular environment than ambiguous extracted ECM alternatives. Customisable microenvironments enable researchers to optimise the growth conditions for each distinct cell type in a multicellular organism.

The HyStem platform includes three unique options: HyStem, HyStem-C and HyStem-HP. HyStem is available to researchers who want to customise their own attachment factors, ECM proteins and peptides and who require an animal-component-free system with a minimal number of cell attachment sites.

Researchers requiring a large number of generalised cell attachment sites for their stem cell cultures will benefit from HyStem-C. HyStem-HP is available for scientists planning to incorporate and gradually release growth factors into the stem cell environment. All options are consistently formulated and well characterised for both in vivo and in vitro experimentation.