iFABCell: smart hydrogels to study cells

Helmut Reinecke

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Spain

Cell culture enables cells to be maintained in vitro, preserving their properties, either for scientific study or for clinical applications. The technique has paved the way to many medical advances and is key to certain emerging cell-based disciplines such as tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

However, the manipulation of cultured cells has a number of limitations associated with cultivation procedures and, in particular, methods to remove or detach the cells from the support on which they grow. Many of these methods are very aggressive for the cells, break the extracellular matrix, and the cells cannot be recovered.

The researchers have developed a technology, iFABCell, which is a smart biomaterial platform or hydrogel that allows cells to proliferate efficiently and detach without damage. This makes them viable for use in cell therapy and medicine.