Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some of the most common questions we receive. If you still can’t find an answer to your question below, please contact us via e-mail or phone at (210) 877-9323 and ask for technical support.
Q: Are CELLvo™ Matrices (all varieties) Ready-to-Use?
Although the matrices arrive with the proteins already attached to the surface of the dish, the proteins must first be rehydrated for at least an hour. After rehydration, you can add your cells. Nothing else is required.
Q: How do you rehydrate CELLvo™ Matrices (all varieties)?
Regardless of the CELLvo™ Matrix product you purchase, the rehydration step is required. Begin by disinfecting the outer package and placing in a clean biological cabinet. Prior to seeding cells, determine how many plates will need to be rehydrated based on your cell seeding density. Add sterile PBS to each well or flask. Volume depends on the format. For a 6 well plate, add 2 mL of PBS to each well and incubate at 37 degrees for 1 hour. For a 96 well plate, add 200 µl to each well. For T75 and T150 flasks, add 15 and 30 mL respectively. After the 1-hour rehydration step, aspirate carefully at the edge and wash 2 more times with the same volumes of PBS. The ECM layer will now appear as a thin, gel-like layer. Cells can now be added.
Q: How thick is the CELLvo™ Matrix?
The thickness of the CELLvo™ Matrix will vary but should be in the range of 5-40 micrometers.
Q: Is the CELLvo™ Matrix robust enough to manipulate?
No. The CELLvo™ Matrix is a protein complex secreted by cells and is fragile.
Q: What is the value of the CELLvo™ Matrix versus other comparable products?
CELLvo™ Matrix is a naturally produced biomimetic substrate. Cells cultured on the CELLvo™ Matrix are more responsive to stimuli, because they are not “busy” responding to a foreign microenvironment. This cannot be reproduced by 2D culture or by the combination of one or more matrix proteins to be coated onto traditional plates. In short, cells cultured on the CELLvo™ Matrix respond to experimental variables rather than an artificial substrate.
Q: How many proteins make up the CELLvo™ Matrix?
Being cell-derived, the Extra Cellular Matrix (ECM) protein present in CELLvo™ Matrix is very complex. Research studies on this product by other laboratories has exhibited > 150 proteins present.
Q: Is the CELLvo™ Matrix fully characterized?
As the CELLvo™ Matrix is produced by human stem cells, some batch to batch variation is expected. However, while exact concentrations of specific proteins may vary, the same proteins are consistently found to be the most abundant. Moreover, our quality assurance testing ensures that we see a similar positive impact on the culture of adult stem cells in every batch.
Q: How does the CELLvo™ Matrix influence cell behavior and motility?
The influence that the CELLvo™ Matrix has on a cell will depend on the cell type. For MSCs, the CELLvo™ Matrix increases cell proliferation, motility and decreases ECM protein synthesis.
Q: Is CELLvo™ Matrix a 3-dimensional matrix?
Yes and No. In 3D cell culture, cells are grown in a 3D scaffold in which cells differentiate into specific cell types that are essential for forming a tissue. CELLvo™ Matrices are produced on top of the surface and have a thickness of approximately 5-40 micrometers. Essentially, this is a thin layer above the 2 dimensional plane of a standard plate or flask.
Q: What plane (on the CELLvo™ Matrix) are the cells located?
This depends on the cell type. Some cells will migrate and proliferate on the surface of the CELLvo™ Matrix while others will do so within or under the CELLvo™ Matrix.
Q: How are cells removed from the CELLvo™ Matrix?
Enzymatic digestion by trypsin of collagenase is generally effective. Depending on the cell type, some optimization may be necessary.
Q: From what type of cells is the CELLvo™ Matrix derived?
The CELLvo™ Matrix is produced by bone marrow stromal cells derived from healthy human subjects.
Q: How long can you culture cells on the CELLvo™ Matrix?
Culturing cells beyond 100% confluence may result in lifting off of the matrix from the culture surface.
Q: Is the product sterile?
The CELLvo™ Matrix is e-beam irradiated as a final step in the production process.
Q: How do you store the CELLvo™ Matrix?
This product should be stored at refrigerated temperature (4-8 °C). Limited periods at room temperature will not affect the performance of the material.
Q: What is the shelf life for the CELLvo™ Matrix?
The expiration date of the product is noted on each culture vessel.
Q: Are there cells still attached to the CELLvo™ Matrix?
No, the cells that produce the CELLvo™ Matrix are removed at the end of the process.
Q: Is DNA present in the CELLvo™ Matrix?
There may be very small amounts of residual DNA still present in the CELLvo™ Matrix. If this is a concern for your studies we recommend a brief incubation in DNase prior to use.
Q: Is the CELLvo™ Matrix produced under GMP?
Our manufacturing site is a state of the art facility located within a large Blood and Tissue Center in San Antonio, Texas. The StemBioSys facility was built out specifically for our use and with GMP certification in mind. We have two different areas; One area is for making reagents used in the CELLvo™ Matrix process and preparing healthy donor cells for the process, and the second area is a Class 10,000 (ISO 7) room with HEPA filtered air and monitored positive pressure. The CELLvo™ Matrix process is performed in Class 100 (ISO 5) biological safety cabinets within the clean room. While our current product is for research use only and does not require GMP, we are manufacturing the product under the spirit of GMP requirements in anticipation that we will switch to full GMP certification in the near future.
Q: Is the CELLvo™ Matrix product Xeno-free?
Yes. We also have available the CELLvo™ Xeno-Free Matrix and results indicate that this product performs similarly to the parent product.
Q: How does the CELLvo™ Matrix compare to Matrigel?
Many cells do not grow well on Matrigel® as it is used primarily for iPSCs. We are in the process of developing a human, cell-derived extracellular matrix for iPSC culture.