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Bio-Block Versus Traditional Cell Culture

In traditional cell culture, cells are grown on a flat plastic surface in cell culture vessels such as a Petri dish, well-plate, or flask. When cells are grown on a flat surface, they form a 2D monolayer. When cells are grown in a monolayer format, they don’t behave the same way they do in the body. The interactions of the cells are limited because they are grown on a single plane instead of three-dimensionally as they do in the body. Furthermore, once the cells divide enough and cover the entire plastic surface, they must be chemically detached from the plastic surface, divided, and re-plated in fresh cell culture vessels to allow the cells to continue growing. However, the repeated stress of detaching cells and dividing them is known as “sub-culturing” and over time this causes cells to eventually wear out and stop dividing and responding.

In the case of stem cells, the stem cells lose their physical attributes and functions that make them useful for research and therapies in traditional cell culture over time. In the human body, sub-culture is not a physiological occurrence. Instead, cells proliferate, create their own substrate, and continue to expand and make complex structures that eventually become functional tissues, organs, and physiological systems.

Hence, the Bio-Blocks were created to enable cells, like ASCs and others, to behave and function as they would if they were growing inside the human body.

The Alternative To Traditional Cell Culture

Ronawk’s Bio-Block is a cubed-shaped hydrogel that is permeated by microchannels. When ASCs, MSCs, or primary cells are seeded into the Bio-Block, they attach to the surfaces within the microchannels and divide and migrate throughout the Bio-Block. Due to the nature of growing inside microchannels, the cells can aggregate together and form sophisticated 3D structures that mimic how cells grow and behave inside the human body, unlike traditional cell culture.

The Bio-Blocks contain microchannels that allow cells to grow and interact with each other in 3D. This means cells can talk to each other and form complex structures. Furthermore, the cells inside the Bio-Blocks do not need to be sub-cultured. When the cells have covered a sufficient surface area of the channels, a second Bio-Block is attached, and the cells continue spreading and proliferating without needing to be detached. One of the beneficial attributes of the Bio-Blocks is that when two Bio-Blocks are attached to each other, the micro-channels in each Bio-Block align, which allows cells to freely move between the two Bio-Blocks. Furthermore, the micro-channels were designed in such a way that oxygen and nutrient transport is uninhibited so that the cells inside the Bio-Blocks can grow in a healthy manner regardless of where they are physically located.

In the case of the T-Block, the hydrogel formulation is mechanically favorable and allows the T-Block to be processed just like human tissue, hence the name.

See more about the Bio-Blocks and our technology here: Our Technology

Traditional cell culture is limiting.

Traditional cell culture is limiting.

Ronawk's Bio-Block is an amazing alternative to traditional cell culture.

Ronawk’s Bio-Block is an amazing alternative to traditional cell culture.

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