ChangeStiffness
Compare multiple mechanical settings.
Keep constantThe ECM coating
Use the same ECM type and attachment method.
How does stiffness affect your cells?
Compare stiffnesses using the same ECM coating protocol, cells, medium and readout.
SENCE™ / Engineered cell-culture surfaces
More control over cell fate and function.
Hydrogel-coated plates and coverslips. Defined stiffness, with control over the ECM your cells encounter.
We supply the hydrogel and binding chemistry. You add your selected extracellular matrix (ECM), cells and medium.
Available through Early Access, with the knowledge and experience of our team.
A new set of experimental controls
Your cells respond to more than the medium.
They also encounter a mechanical environment and a matrix of proteins. SENCE™ brings those physical inputs into your experimental design.
Separate stiffness from ECM type and attachment. Then investigate how they work together.
- Stiffness
- How strongly the material resists deformation.
- ECM type
- Which matrix proteins you choose.
- Attachment
- How the ECM is anchored to the gel.
- Coating stability
- How well the ECM stays attached during culture.
Design a more revealing comparison
What do you want to separate?
ChangeOne ECM parameter
For example, compare different ECM protein types.
Keep constantStiffness
Use the same mechanical setting.
How does your choice of ECM affect your cells?
Change one ECM parameter at a time. When comparing protein types, keep the attachment method, coating protocol, cells, medium and readout consistent.
| Mechanical setting | ECM X | ECM Y |
|---|---|---|
| Stiffness A | A + X | A + Y |
| Stiffness B | B + X | B + Y |
Does one cue change the effect of another?
Compare combinations to investigate an interaction that a single-variable experiment could miss.
What can that reveal? Start with a question about stem-cell identity.
One question. A measured result.
What helps a stem cell stay a stem cell?
In a mouse embryonic stem-cell study, a soft physical environment helped preserve self-renewal when a usual soluble support signal was removed.
Labouesse et al. · Nature Communications · 2021
The surface changed what the cells could retain.
- Compare the environments.
Mouse embryonic stem cells spent five days on fibronectin-coated soft and stiff research hydrogels or culture plastic, in serum without LIF, a soluble support signal.
- Test what they retained.
All groups then entered the same colony-forming assay with soluble support restored.
- Read the result.
Cells from soft hydrogels formed more alkaline-phosphatase-positive colonies than those from stiff gels or plastic.
The researchers first established independent control of hydrogel stiffness and ECM tethering. The self-renewal experiment then compared soft and stiff hydrogels at the selected tethering condition, with culture plastic as an additional comparison. The finding does not establish the same outcome for every cell line or current SENCE™ configuration.
Bring the question into your lab
Engineered surfaces. Familiar formats.
SENCE™ brings the hydrogel and ECM-binding chemistry into the plate or coverslip. You keep your biological question, chosen coating and culture workflow.
6-, 12-, 24- and 96-well plates.
Coverslips in packs of 12.
0.5 · 3.5 · 9 · 50 kPa
Current nominal stiffness range.
- 01 / SUPPLIED BY STEMBOND
Hydrogel + binding chemistry
A prepared physical platform in your chosen format.
- 02 / PREPARED BY YOU
Your ECM, cells + medium
The coating and biological conditions for your assay.
- 03 / DESIGNED TOGETHER
A useful comparison
Selected controls and a readout tied to your question.
Take a closer look at the culture interface
- 01 / TOP
Your ECM coating
The aqua representation is the matrix your cells encounter.
- 02 / MIDDLE
Hydrogel + binding chemistry
The supplied violet layer provides mechanics and anchors your chosen coating.
- 03 / BASE
Plate or coverslip support
The clear base supports the gel. You add cells and medium above the ECM.
Your next experimental question
What would you like to understand?
Start with the response you need to explain. Explore example evaluations and short films for your workflow.
Watch / 3:41
See how mechanobiology fits your experiment.
Watch all application filmsExplore the research evidenceThe SENCE™ Early Access Program
Bring your question. Work with our team.
Access the expanded product range and work closely with StemBond to transfer our knowledge and practical experience into your research, before full market release.
Together, we can shape the controls, preparation and readouts for an evaluation in your cell model.
For investors