Alvetex® 3D Cell Culture System

Synthetic scaffold for routine 3D cell culture

Traditionally, cultured cells grow on treated-polystyrene 2D surfaces as in standard cell culture plastic-ware. alvetex® presents cells with the equivalent growth substrate but in a 3D format. These materials are readily adaptable to different types of existing tissue culture plastic-ware (e.g. multi-well plates, well inserts). The culture device is pre-fabricated, sterile, is ready to use off-the-shelf and can be handled in a similar manner as standard 2D plastic-ware.

AMSBIO offers alvetex®, a synthetic 3D cell culture system plastic for routine 3D cell culture. This is a highly porous polystyrene scaffold for 3D cell culture, bringing a new dimension to your research capabilities. Delivering more in vivo-like results over traditional two-dimensional monolayer cultures.

The culturing of mammalian cells in a traditional laboratory plastic-ware 2D model results in flat monolayer cultures with flattened nuclei. alvetex® has been designed to stop this flattening shape change from happening. Cells can retain their natural 3D architecture when they enter the scaffold. Preventing the flattening out of cells and avoiding the stress associated with conventional/artificial 2D cell cultures. This preserves the natural attributes of the cell and allows them to form complex interactions with adjacent cell to receive/transmit signalling molecules.

Product range

Alvetex® is available in a range of formats designed with ease of use and flexibility in mind:

  • Alvetex® Scaffold: primarily designed for 3D culture of mammalian cells within the scaffold, forming structures up to 200µm thick. (Average void size: 42 µm).
  • Alvetex®  Strata: is designed for growing cells in 3D on the top surface. Cells still grow in 3D but are less likely to enter the scaffold because the voids are much smaller. This product is useful for customers who wish to grow cells in 3D then recover 90-95% of the 3D cells for further analysis (Average void size: 15 µm).

NameDatasheetPacksize Order
Alvetex Kit Strata Well Insert Starter Kit-1 View
Alvetex Perfusion Plate Kit (Perfusion plate x 2 and Alvetex Scaffold 12 well insert x 12)1 View
Alvetex Perfusion Plate Kit (Perfusion plate x 2 and Alvetex Scaffold 6 well insert x 12)1 View
Alvetex Perfusion Plate Kit (Perfusion plate x 5 and Alvetex Scaffold 12 well insert x 48)1 View
Alvetex Perfusion Plate Kit (Perfusion plate x 5 and Alvetex Scaffold 6 well insert x 48)1 View
Alvetex Scaffold 12 well insert × 9696 View
Alvetex Scaffold 24 well insert × 48-48 View
Alvetex Scaffold 24 well insert × 1212 View
Alvetex Scaffold 24 well insert × 9696 View
Alvetex Scaffold 384 well plate × 1010 View
Alvetex Scaffold 384 well plate × 22 View
Alvetex Scaffold 384 well plate × 8080 View
Alvetex Scaffold 6 well insert × 9696 View
Alvetex Strata 12 well insert × 1212 View
Alvetex Strata 12 well insert × 4848 View
Alvetex Strata 12 well insert × 96-96 View
Alvetex Strata 6 well insert × 1212 View
Alvetex Strata 6 well insert × 4848 View
Alvetex Strata 6 well insert × 96-96 View
Alvetex Well insert holder x 10 and deep Petri-dish x 10-10 View

Alvetex® Technology

Alvetex® is made from inert polystyrene using emulsion templating and its surface chemistry can be varied to influence cell adhesion, proliferation and function (Hayman et al. 2005). By changing the chemical composition of the emulsion and the processing conditions, the porosity of alvetex® can be adjusted to suit alternative applications (Carnachan et al. 2006).

Tested on a broad and growing selection of different cell types this 3D scaffold demonstrates enhanced functional activity compared to cells grown under identical conditions on 2D culture plastic. Having shown that the differentiation of cultured stem cells is significantly influenced by 3D growth (Hayman et al. 2004).

      • Alvetex® presented in a multi-well plate format is ideal for short-term cultures and techniques such as transfection
      • Alvetex® mounted in our well insert bathes the 3D culture in medium from above and below enabling long-term culture. Our well insert holder mounted in a deep Petri dish provides a larger volume of medium to further optimize growth of long-term 3D cultures, and enables co-culture studies (2D and 3D; or 3D and 3D)
      • Perfusion Plate: allows dynamic circulation and perfusion of culture medium within a multi-welled Plate
      • Suggestions for co-culture are available

Assays Compatible with Alvetex®

  • Tissue processing, fixation, embedding and sectioning
  • Histological staining, in situ hybridisation
  • Bright-field microscopy and photographic imaging
  • Electron microscopy - both SEM and TEM
  • Cryostat sectioning
  • Immunocytochemistry
  • Fluorescence microscopy, confocal, laser capture
  • Isolation of viable cells for passaging
  • Flow cytometry and cytospinning
  • Extraction of nucleic acid and total protein
  • Biochemical assays

Citations

Tailoring the morphology of emulsion-templated porous polymers
Carnachan, R.J., et al (2006) Soft Matter 2(7): 608-616.

Enhanced neurite outgrowth by human neurons grown on solid three-dimensional scaffolds
Hayman M.W., et al (2004) Biochem Biophys Res Commun 314(2):483-8.

Growth of human stem cell-derived neurons on solid three-dimensional polymers
Hayman, M.W., et al (2005) J Biochem Biophys Methods 62(3): 231-40.