Image 1 of 1
SilkTune™ is a hydrogel engineered to generate controlled stiffness within a 3D silk fibroin-based matrix without requiring specialized bioprinting or microfabrication instruments.
Cells are incorporated into the matrix precursor and allowed to stabilize into a stiffness-graded 3D environment, supporting long-term culture, lineage specification, and microenvironment-driven behavior. Standard cell culture media can be used.
Its transparency, optical clarity, and structural uniformity allow for direct live imaging, confocal microscopy, and multimodal microscopy assays.
Cells can also be retrieved using our Dissolving Solution for cytometry, biochemical and molecular assays.
SilkTune™ enables advanced studies of bone-marrow biology across variable mechanical conditions.
Hematopoiesis Research: The hydrogel’s controlled mechanical gradients mimic native bone-marrow niches, enabling detailed study of how stiffness and spatial mechanics regulate normal blood cell development. Disease Modeling: By recreating physiological and pathological mechanical microenvironments, the platform supports investigation of hematological disorders and the role of altered mechanobiology in disease progression. Drug Screening and Development: Its compatibility with patient-derived cells and mechanically diverse regions allows ex vivo therapeutic testing across niche-specific conditions.