A NEW mimetic library of extracellular matrices has been launched by Amsbio. Including almost 300 biomimetics of fibronectin, vitronectin, laminin, and collagen, the new extracellular matrix (ECM) library should prove useful for engineering the surfaces of plates or scaffolds to achieve specific cell adhesion properties.
Plates and 3D culture scaffolds treated with the new ECM combinatorial library are a powerful tool for identifying the cellular adhesion profile of a cell line or tumour against the widest commercially available collection of cell surface receptor binding peptide motifs, says Amsbio.
The extracellular microenvironment, defined by biochemical and physical cues, is a deciding factor in a wide range of cellular processes including but not confined to oncology.
These include cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and expression of phenotype-specific functions.
Being able to engineer the ECM microenvironment provides clear benefits in studies of cell and tissue engineering and related applications. Existing technology offers environments that facilitate basic cell processes such as adhesion, but Amsbio says these are simple and only adequate.
A recent study showed that a combination of extracellular matrix derived peptides presented on a surface may enhance cell adhesion strength and focal adhesion assembly. This combinatorial presentation of ECM peptides on cell growth surfaces may also promote elevated proliferation rates of primary or stem cells.