Guide to Choosing Hydrogel Material |
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Collagen is the main compound of extracellular matrix and plays an important role in tissue development and structural integrity maintenance. Our products are made of two types of basic material: porcine collagen and synthetic collagen mimetic peptide conjugated to polyethylene glycol. This table is compiled to help you choose the right material for your study.
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| Feature | Porcine collagen (PC) | Collagen mimetic peptide (CMP) |
| Origin | Animal | Synthetic, animal free |
| Main structural element | Collagen | Self-assembling peptide sequences from collagen |
| Structure | Made of parallel collagen fibers with pores up to several µm | Forms a fibrillary net with nanopores up to 0.4 µm |
| Stiffness | Stiffer, more resistant to physical damage | Softer, needs to be handled with care |
| Transparency | Transparent enough to visualize cells under brightfield and fluorescent microscope, however, some larger pores are also visible under brightfield | Good resolution of cell images for both brightfield and fluorescence |
| Moulding | Both types can be easily molded to preferred shape | |
| Patterning | Both types can be patterned with molecules of choice | |
| Composition modifications | Additives can be mixed into the hydrogel, but not introduced into the structure core | Bioactive sequences can be introduced into the structural core |
| Price | Cheaper because of less complex production steps and cheaper source material | More expensive material and process |
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