Agarose-Based Hydrogel Development Services

Due to the many advantages of agarose, such as controlled self-gel properties, water solubility, biocompatibility, tissue-mimicking properties, controlled degradability, and non-immunogenicity, it has received widespread attention. Matexcel is committed to helping our customers develop agarose-based hydrogel design and manufacturing strategies to break down their limitations in biomedical applications. We are looking forward to collaborating with our customers to create agarose-based hydrogels with superior functional properties.

Introduction to Agarose-Based Hydrogel

Agarose is a linear and neutral galactan hydrocolloid extracted and purified from agar or agar-bearing marine algae and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a biocompatible polysaccharide. Based on its stiffness and functional groups, agarose can support cell adhesion, value addition, and activity. In addition, agarose has adjustable water adsorption capacity that provides cells with a microenvironment suitable for cellular activity, making it ideal for cell-related performance studies as well as biomedical applications. Without any cumbersome preparation methods, the agarose-based hydrogel can be easily prepared by heating and cooling processes. Because of its excellent performance and cost-effective production, the agarose-based hydrogel has been widely used in life science research, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wearable devices.

Fig. 1 The molecular structure of agarose and schematic of its gelling process. (Salati MA, et al., 2020)

Agarose-Based Hydrogel Applications

Agarose-based hydrogels have many beneficial properties that make them attractive polymeric materials for various biomedical applications, such as wound healing, tissue engineering, etc.

• Used as a drug-laden hydrogel wound dressing to accelerate wound healing.
• Used in mechanical loading response studies of chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).
• Used to prepare novel highly efficient injectable agarose-based hydrogels for the repair of damaged cartilage tissue.
• Used as bioprinting material for tissue engineering.
• Used for combined photothermal therapy and enhanced photodynamic therapy (PDT) for cancer treatment. 
• Used in drug delivery and controlled release.
• Used for the fabrication of wearable biosensors.

Our Services

Matexcel offers our expertise and extensive experience to help our customers develop new ways to produce agarose-based hydrogel in a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and efficient manner. We are committed to advancing the application of agarose-based hydrogel in a wide range of fields. Our customized agarose-based hydrogel development services include but are not limited to the following:

• Hydrogel formulation design services: We customize agarose-based hydrogels designs based on our customers' needs by varying hydrogel composition, cross-linking methods, configuration dimensions, permeability, aqueous liquid swelling, diffusivity, and degradability to precisely meet customer requirements for a variety of exciting and high-growth applications.
• Hydrogel modification services: Most agarose-based hydrogels have insufficient mechanical strength or functional properties to meet the needs of practical medical applications. We can adopt tailored modification schemes to modify and optimize the original properties of the hydrogel according to the demands of downstream applications for various performance parameters of agarose-based hydrogel, so that it can have better properties, such as excellent biocompatibility, hydrophilicity, degradability, easily adjustable physicochemical properties and structure.
• Hydrogel analysis and characterization services: We provide a full range of analysis and characterization services in the development of agarose-based hydrogels, as well as efficacy testing services for agarose-based hydrogel samples.

Process of Our Service

Want to Learn More?

Matexcel is committed to helping our customers overcome all difficulties in the agarose-based hydrogel research and development process. If you are interested in our services, please fill out the online inquiry form and tell us more about your project.

References

1. Salati MA; et al. Agarose-Based Biomaterials: Opportunities and Challenges in Cartilage Tissue Engineering. Polymers (Basel). 2020, 12(5):1150.
2. López-Marcial GR; et al. Agarose-Based Hydrogels as Suitable Bioprinting Materials for Tissue Engineering. ACS Biomater Sci Eng. 2018, 4(10):3610-3616.