Think soft!
The physical properties of the substrate on which cells are grown profoundly influences the culture, as recent scientific data demonstrates. Substrate elasticity is as powerful to determine cell behavior and identity as is their chemical milieu.
Grow soft!
ExCellness provides non-degradable tissue culture surfaces with the elasticity of human tissue, ranging from the stiffness of bone to the softness of brain. Culturing your cells on our adapted culture substrates makes them "FEELING AT HOME"!
Enjoy soft!
Culturing your cells on ExCellness tailored culture substrates allows to:

• determine the optimal mechanical conditions for cells to express proteins of interest appropriately
• model healthy and diseased tissues in vitro
• determine the effect of substrate elasticity on cell proliferation rates, apoptosis, cytokine production, metabolism...

Our solution : biomimetic, elastic cell culture substrates
Our technology is based on the fact that the softness of the culture surface influences cell performance. We offer culture dishes with elastic surfaces that imitate the physical properties of tissues in the human body, ranging from the stiffness of bone to the softness of brain tissues.

The ExCellness PrimeCoat series is designed specifically to provide a biomimetic cell culture environment that improves cell characteristics and phenotype in laboratory applications.

Key features

• PrimeCoat elastic substrates are easy to use for cell culture and subsequent analysis.
• PrimeCoat elastic substrates are available with 6 degrees of softness within the elasticity range of body tissues: 2, 5, 10, 15, 30 and 100 kPa.
• PrimeCoat elastic substrates are available in 4 standard formats: 100 mm diameter dishes, 40 mm diameter dishes, 24-well plates and 20x20 mm cover slips.
• PrimeCoat elastic substrates require to be coated by the end user to promote cell adhesion.
• PrimeCoat elastic substrates are transparent. Cells can be visualized with standard transmission light microscopes (e.g., Phase contrast, DIC).
• PrimeCoat elastic substrates are compatible with most standard molecular or cellular techniques: immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, protein analysis (e.g., Western blotting, and RNA/DNA extraction).

Biomimetic cell culture substrates at reach
PrimeCoat series combines simplicity and accessibility:

• simplicity of cell handling
• straightforward compatibility with cell analysis tools
• accessible prices

ExCellness in peer reviewed publications
In the following peer-reviewed publications, ExCellness biomimetic cell culture devices have been used or cited:

• M. R. Zeglinski et al. Chronic expression of Ski induces apoptosis and represses autophagy in
  cardiac myofibroblasts. Biochim.  Biophys. Acta. 2016 Jun;1863(6 Pt A):1261-8
  
• H Chen et al. Mechanosensing by the α6-integrin confers an invasive fibroblast phenotype and mediates lung fibrosis. Nat. Commun. 2016 Aug 18;7: 12564.
• NP Talele et al. Expression of α-Smooth Muscle Actin Determines the Fate of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells. Stem Cell Reports. 2015 Jun 9;4(6) : 1016-30.

• V Sarrazy et al. Integrins avb5 and avb3 promote latent TGF-beta 1 activation by human cardiac fibroblast contraction. Cardiovasc Res (2014) 102 (3)
• VF Achterberg et al. The nano-scale mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix regulate dermal fibroblast function.J Invest Dermatol. 2014 Jul;134(7):1862-72.
• JA Cadby et al. Differences between the Cell Populations from the Peritenon and the Tendon Core with Regard to Their Potential Implication in Tendon Repair. 2014. PLoS ONE 9(3): e92474.
• JA Cadby. Can we improve tendon healing in the horse? A multi-angle study of a multi-facet problem. ISBN: 978-90-5335-715-6
• A Vashist et al. Recent advances in hydrogel based drug delivery systems for the human body. J. Mater. Chem. B, 2014,2, 147-166
• EP van der Veer et al. The RNA-Binding Protein Quaking is a Critical Regulator of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotype. Circ Res. 2013 Oct 12;113(9):1065-75.
• A De Boeck et al. Differential secretome analysis of cancer-associated fibrobroblasts and bone marrow-derived precursors toidentify microenvironmental regulators of colon cancerprogression. Proteomics 2013,13,379-388
• C Godbout et al. The Mechanical Environment Modulates Intracellular Calcium Oscillation Activities of Myofibroblasts.PLoS One. 2013; 8(5): e64560.
• S Constant et al. Colon Cancer: Current Treatments and Preclinical Models for the Discovery and Development of New Therapies. Drug discovery; Editor Hany A. El-Shemy. ISBN 978-953-51-0906-8.
• JL Balestrini et al. The mechanical memory of lung myofibroblasts. Integr. Biol., 2012,4, 410-421.
• Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells, Volume 8. Therapeutic Applications in Disease and Injury. Editors M.A. Hayat. ISBN 978-94-007-4797-5

• A Skardal et al. Bioprinted amniotic fluid-derived stem cells accelerate healing of large skin wounds. Stem Cells Transl Med. 2012 Nov;1(11):792-802. doi: 10.5966/sctm.2012-0088. Epub 2012 Oct 29.
• A Skardal et al. Substrate elasticity controls cell proliferation, surface marker expression and motile phenotype in amniotic fluid-derived stem cells. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2013 January; 17: 307-316.
• BJ Crider et al. Myocardin-Related Transcription Factors A and B Are Key Regulators of TGF-b1-Induced Fibroblast to Myofibroblast Differentiation. Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2011) 131, 2378-2385
• L Follonier Castella et al. A new lock-step mechanism of matrix remodelling based on subcellular contractile events. Journal of Cell Science 123, 1751-1760

In physics terms, conventional tissue culture plastic dishes are some 10'000 KiloPascal (kPa) stiff whereas most tissues in our body are four orders of magnitude softer (1-50 kPa). It emerges as a general theme that different cell types prefer a culture substrate elasticity which resembles the stiffness of their origin tissue: 
-Neuronal cells grow best on brain-soft hydrogels which eliminate other, contaminating cells of the tissue preparation.
-Fibroblasts and liver cells keep their 'tissue-like' character on soft hydrogels but become diseased on plastic. 
-Muscle precursor cells in culture differentiate best into functional muscle fibers on muscle-stiff hydrogels. 
-Cancer cells like soft but dislike stiff hydrogels. 
Amazingly, the appropriate elastic cell culture substrate alone differentiates mesenchymal stem cells into lineages that are needed for regenerative medicine (bone, cartilage, muscle, neurons) by simply mimicking the appropriate tissue stiffness in culture.

ExCellness dishes are cell culture device with a soft polymer surface, exhibiting an elasticity that is designed to closely resemble the physical properties of body tissue. The basis of our product is a sterile, transparent, elastic cell culture substrate that makes cells 'feeling at home'.

Scientific publications

• Petersen, A. et al. The impact of substrate stiffness and mechanical loading on fibroblast-induced scaffold remodeling. Tissue Eng Part A. 2012 Apr 20 (2012).
• Forte, G. et al. Substrate Stiffness Modulates Gene Expression and Phenotype in Neonatal Cardiomyocytes In Vitro. Tissue Eng Part A. 2012 Jun 12 (2012).
• Trichet, L. et al. Evidence of a large-scale mechanosensing mechanism for cellular adaptation to substrate stiffness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 May 1;109(18):6933-8. Epub 2012 Apr 16 (2012).
• Witkowska-Zimny, M. et al. Effect of substrate stiffness on differentiation of umbilical cord stem cells. No 2011_204 Vol. 59, 2012 (2012).
• Hazeltine, L.-B. et al. Effects of substrate mechanics on contractility of cardiomyocytes generated from human pluripotent stem cells. Int J Cell Biol. 2012:508294 (2012).
• Chowdhury, F. et al. Soft Substrates Promote Homogeneous Self-Renewal of Embryonic Stem Cells via Downregulating Cell-Matrix Tractions. PLoS ONE 5(12): e15655. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015655(2010).
• Zhang, H.-Y. et al. Substrate stiffness regulates apoptosis and the mRNA expression of extracellular matrix regulatory genes in the rat annular cells. Matrix Biology: 30, 135-144 (2011).
• Chowdhury, F. et al. Material properties of the cell dictate stress-induced spreading and differentiation in embryonic stem cells. Nature Mater 9: 82-88 (2010).
• Evans, N. D. et al. Substrate stiffness affects early differentiation events in embryonic stem cells. Eur Cell Mater 18: 1-14. (2009).
• Tomasek, J. J. et al. Contraction of myofibroblasts in granulation tissue is dependent on Rho/Rho kinase/myosin light chain phosphatase activity. Wound Repair Regen 14, 313-20 (2006).
• Hinz, B. & Gabbiani, G. Cell-matrix and cell-cell contacts of myofibroblasts: role in connective tissue remodeling. Thromb Haemost 90, 993-1002 (2003).
• Goffin, J. M. et al. Focal adhesion size controls tension-dependent recruitment of alpha-smooth muscle actin to stress fibers. J Cell Biol 172, 259-68 (2006).
• Yeung, T. et al. Effects of substrate stiff-ness on cell morphology, cytoskeletal structure, and adhesion. Cell Motil Cytoskeleton 60, 24-34 (2005).
• Discher, D. E., Janmey, P. & Wang, Y. L. Tissue cells feel and respond to the stiffness of their substrate. Science 310, 1139-43 (2005).
• Park IH, Zhao R, West JA, Yabuuchi A, Huo H, Ince TA, Lerou PH, Lensch MW, Daley GQ: Reprogramming of human somatic cells to pluripotency with defined factors, Nature, 451:141-146 (2008).
• Hinz B: Tissue stiffness, latent TGF-beta1 activation, and mechanical signal transduction: implications for the pathogenesis and treatment of fibrosis, Curr Rheumatol Rep, 11:120-126 (2009).
• Goffin JM, Pittet P, Csucs G, Lussi JW, Meister JJ, Hinz B: Focal adhesion size controls tension-dependent recruitment of alpha-smooth muscle actin to stress fibers, J Cell Biol, 172:259-268 (2006).
• Follonier Castella L, Buscemi L, Godbout C, Meister JJ, Hinz B: A new lock-step mechanism of matrix remodelling based on subcellular contractile events, J Cell Sci, 123:1751-1760 (2010).
• Wipff PJ, Rifkin DB, Meister JJ, Hinz B: Myofibroblast contraction activates latent TGF-beta1 from the extracellular matrix, J Cell Biol, 179:1311-1323 (2007).
• Georges PC, Miller WJ, Meaney DF, Sawyer ES, Janmey PA: Matrices with compliance comparable to that of brain tissue select neuronal over glial growth in mixed cortical cultures, Biophys J, 90:3012-3018 (2006).
• Hinz B, Dugina V, Ballestrem C, Wehrle-Haller B, Chaponnier C: Alpha-smooth muscle actin Is crucial for focal adhesion maturation in myofibroblasts, Mol Biol Cell, 14:2508-2519 (2003).
• Georges PC, Hui JJ, Gombos Z, McCormick ME, Wang AY, Uemura M, Mick R, Janmey PA, Furth EE, Wells RG: Increased stiffness of the rat liver precedes matrix deposition: implications for fibrosis, Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol, 293:G1147-1154 (2007).
• Engler AJ, Griffin MA, Sen S, Bonnemann CG, Sweeney HL, Discher DE: Myotubes differentiate optimally on substrates with tissue-like stiffness: pathological implications for soft or stiff microenvironments, J Cell Biol, 166:877-887 (2004).
• Engler AJ, Carag-Krieger C, Johnson CP, Raab M, Tang HY, Speicher DW, Sanger JW, Sanger JM, Discher DE: Embryonic cardiomyocytes beat best on a matrix with heart-like elasticity: scar-like rigidity inhibits beating, J Cell Sci, 121:3794-3802 (2008).
• Paszek MJ, Weaver VM: The tension mounts: mechanics meets morphogenesis and malignancy, J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia, 9:325-342 (2004).
• Engler AJ, Sen S, Sweeney HL, Discher DE: Matrix elasticity directs stem cell lineage specification, Cell, 126:677-689 (2006).
• Winer JP, Janmey PA, McCormick ME, Funaki M: Bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells become quiescent on soft substrates but remain responsive to chemical or mechanical stimuli, Tissue Eng Part A, 15:147-154 (2009).
• Janmey PA, Winer JP, Murray ME, Wen Q: The hard life of soft cells, Cell Motil Cytoskeleton, 66:597-605 (2009).
• Tenney RM, Discher DE: Stem cells, microenvironment mechanics, and growth factor activation, Curr Opin Cell Biol, 21:630-635 (2009).
• Rehfeldt F, Engler AJ, Eckhardt A, Ahmed F, Discher DE: Cell responses to the mechanochemical microenvironment--implications for regenerative medicine and drug delivery, Adv Drug Deliv Rev, 59:1329-1339 (2007).
• Brown XQ, Ookawa K, Wong JY: Evaluation of polydimethylsiloxane scaffolds with physiologically-relevant elastic moduli: interplay of substrate mechanics and surface chemistry effects on vascular smooth muscle cell response, Biomaterials, 26:3123-3129 (2005).