Platform
The material is a variable. Most labs treat it as a constant.
Cells read stiffness, degradability and adhesion cues and change their behaviour accordingly. That makes the matrix one of the most powerful levers in an experiment, and one of the least controlled.
The standard matrix is undefined
Matrigel is harvested from mouse tumours. Its composition is not fully characterised and it varies from lot to lot, so an experiment that works in one batch may not work in the next.
The alternatives are static
Defined synthetic matrices exist, but each is sold as one formulation for every cell type and every application. The material does not change to suit the biology.
So people optimise by hand, or give up
Finding a matrix that works for a given cell type and readout can take a year or more of trial and error. Most groups do not have that time, so they accept the default and absorb the variability.
Schematic comparison of response consistency across lots. Illustrative only, not validated Regelife data.
HydroBase
Matrix design becomes a step, not a project.
Describe
Your cell type, your format, and the outcome you are after. In plain biological language, not polymer chemistry.
Design
The platform returns a design direction within the synthetic hydrogel space, drawing on the chemistry developed in the Anseth Research Group.
Deliver
We ship the matched hydrogel kit, ready to use, with the same composition every time you reorder.
Schematic of the accessible formulation space. Each point is a candidate; the highlighted point is a returned design. Illustrative only.
Why software, and not a catalogue.
The space of possible formulations is far larger than any product line can cover. Stiffness, degradation rate and ligand identity and density combine into millions of candidates, and the right one depends on the cell and the question.
A catalogue picks a handful of points in that space and sells them to everyone. A model searches the space for the point you need.
Every experiment run on the platform sharpens the model, so the designs get better as more groups use it.