Frequently Asked Questions

LunaGel™ contains a proprietary mixture of photocrosslinkable Gelatin and a visible light photoinitiator dissolved in phosphate buffered saline. No chemicals are added to LunaGel™. The product contains chemically modified (porcine skin. cow bone, cold water fish skin) gelatin, hence a semisynthetic product based on animal origin.

The major components of LunaGel™ include the ECM proteins collagen type I, III, IV, and V. Collagens make up approximately 96% of the proteins in the LunaGel™ mixture, the rest is glycoproteins and proteoglycans. The material is free of biological contaminants including free amino acids, nucleotides, and others.

LunaGel™ forms hydrogels by photocrosslinking of chemically reactive groups and forms stable hydrogels. Unlike unmodified gelatins, LunaGel™ does not melt when heated.

It is possible to use black-walled plates. However, some optimisation will be necessary. As the black plates limit the amount of light getting to the sample, a higher concentration (2x) of photoinitiator is required, and the crosslinking duration may have to be optimised to achieve the desired cell performance/phenotype. We can help you with the optimisation when you’re ready to get started, but as a general guide we suggest to use 2x concentration of the photoinitiator (dissolve photoinitiator in 500 ul and mix 1:1 with the ECM), and try different crosslinking times, for example, 1, 2, 4, and 8 minutes, and observe if the gel forms and the cell growth.

You can certainly do that and it may make it easier to work with, however, this is not strictly necessary as the LunaGel™ ECM is stable at temperature of up to 50 degrees Celsius.

For low stiffness kit, the range is 0 - 6 kPa, high stiffness kit allow for up to approx. 25 kPa in Compressive/Young's modulus as measured using our standard compression testing regime. However, the stiffness depend on several factors including sample volume, and should ideally be confirmed in your culture format.

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No, experiments can be done at room temperature.

Highly tuneable matrix - With LunaGel™, you have the ability to adjust the matrix properties to suit your specific research needs. Consistent properties - Unlike Matrigel, LunaGel™ has consistent properties batch-to-batch, ensuring reproducible results every time. No growth factors - Unlike Matrigel, LunaGel™ does not contain any growth factors, allowing for more control over cell behavior. Work at room temperature - LunaGel™ can be used at room temperature, eliminating the need for costly refrigeration. Readily available - LunaGel™ is readily available, ensuring that your research is never delayed.

The final polymer concentration in low stiffness porcine gelatin kits is 5% w/v.