Make mechanobiology part of your next experiment.

More control over the physical environment opens new ways to explore cell fate and function. SENCE^™ brings that capability into hydrogel-coated cell-culture plates and coverslips. The hydrogel, with defined stiffness and protein-binding chemistry, is supplied ready for your protocol. You choose the extracellular matrix proteins, or ECM, and the biology you want to study.

Here is why that combination matters. An adherent cell grips matrix proteins and pulls against them. The resistance it encounters can influence signals inside the cell. Those signals interact with the biochemical cues you already work with, helping shape how the cell behaves. This is mechanobiology at work.

The cell experiences more than stiffness. The type of matrix protein matters, as does how it is anchored to the surface and presented to the cell. If stiffness and that interface change together, a different biological result can be difficult to interpret.

Separating those variables gives you a clearer experiment. You can compare stiffness conditions while working to match the ECM interface. Or keep stiffness constant and investigate a change in ECM. The aim is to understand which physical inputs matter for your cells, rather than change several things at once.

The research platform behind SENCE^™ demonstrated independent control of stiffness and ECM tethering. That opens a useful connection between physical conditions and biological goals. Two published examples show what this can mean.

In mouse embryonic stem cells, researchers found that soft research hydrogels supported naïve stem-cell identity and self-renewal with reduced soluble support. For a team trying to preserve a particular cell state, the physical environment became part of the culture strategy.

A second study examined brain progenitor cells from aged rats. In culture, soft research hydrogels coated with laminin restored their ability to proliferate and differentiate relative to stiff conditions. That result shows how changing the physical environment can recover useful cellular behaviour in a specific experimental system.

These studies give you reasons to test physical conditions against the outcome you need. The right choice depends on the cells, coating and wider protocol. Your experiment establishes which combination works for your application.

With SENCE^™, you start with the manufactured hydrogel and binding chemistry already in place. Choose the format and stiffness for your experiment, apply your selected ECM using the appropriate coating protocol, then add your cells and medium. You can bring these physical variables into your work without making the supplied hydrogel yourself.

Begin with a question that matters to your team. Perhaps you want to preserve identity, investigate differentiation, or measure a functional response. Compare conditions using a matched cell source, coating protocol, medium and measurement method, and verify the interface you intend to hold constant. Measure the biological outcome that will guide your next decision.

Our Early Access Program brings you the product and the people behind it. We work closely with research groups and companies to transfer our knowledge and experience into their workflows before full market release. Bring us your research question, and we can shape a practical SENCE^™ evaluation together.