Skip to Content
Merck
All Photos(1)

Key Documents

938424

Sigma-Aldrich

TissueFab® Discrete GelMA

90-110 bloom, 50% degree of substitution

Sign Into View Organizational & Contract Pricing


About This Item

Linear Formula:
(C32H48N9O11)n
UNSPSC Code:
51171641
NACRES:
NA.21

Quality Level

description

Application: 3D bioprinting, tissue engineering

form

powder or chunks ( or fibers)

color

white to light brown

storage temp.

−20°C

General description

Gelatin methacryloyl, also known as gelatin methacrylate or GelMA, is a methacrylate-functionalized gelatin biomaterial. The gelatin amine groups are chemically modified with methacrylate groups, which when combined with light and a photoinitiator, can be be photopolymerized to form a hydrogel with a three-dimension network that closely mimices the native extracellular matrix (ECM). GelMA is often used as a scaffold for cell culture and tissue regeneration, as it provides a supportive environment for cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation. Its properties, such as mechanical strength, degradation rate, and gelation behavior, can be adjusted by modifying the degree of methacrylation and crosslinking density.

Many GelMAs currently available have a high degree of variation and inconsistency. To address this, the TissueFab(R) Discrete GelMAs have been developed to achieve a specific degree of methacrylation with low batch to batch variability.

Application

  • Tissue engineering - including bone tissue, cartilage tissue, epidermal tissue, and cardiac tissue
  • Regenerative medicine - including injectable tissue constructs and endothelial cell morphogenesis
  • Drug and cell delivery - in the form of microspheres and hydrogels
  • Surface coatings - of medical devices and implants in order to improve biocompatibility and release therapeutic cargos

Features and Benefits

  • Specific degree of methacrylation - a narrow peak of methacrylation allows for better reproducibility, low batch to batch variability, for improved consistency of gel properties and cell behavior.
  • Biocompatibility - GelMA contains RGD sequences, found in collagen and other natural ECM proteins, which promote cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation, and maturation of a variety of cell types.
  • Biodegradability - GelMA contains matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) degradable sites that can be recognized and enzymatically degraded by cells. This allows the encapsulated cells to degrade and remodel the GelMA matrix, and repopulate with their own cells and tissues, a major goal for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
  • Tunability - The TissueFab(R) Discrete GelMAs are available in a variety of degrees of substitution which ultimately impact the hydrogel stiffness and mechanical properties and can be used to recapitulate and accomodate different native tissues.
  • Bioprintability - The TissueFab(R) Discrete GelMAs are widely used in the field of 3D bioprinting due to their unique gelation properties and the ability to print via extrusion and other methods to create intricate cell-encapsulated 3D structures with high cell viability.

Legal Information

TISSUEFAB is a registered trademark of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Storage Class Code

11 - Combustible Solids

WGK

WGK 3

Flash Point(F)

Not applicable

Flash Point(C)

Not applicable


Certificates of Analysis (COA)

Search for Certificates of Analysis (COA) by entering the products Lot/Batch Number. Lot and Batch Numbers can be found on a product’s label following the words ‘Lot’ or ‘Batch’.

Already Own This Product?

Find documentation for the products that you have recently purchased in the Document Library.

Visit the Document Library

Facile one-step micropatterning using photodegradable methacrylated gelatin hydrogels for improved cardiomyocyte organization and alignment.
Tsang K, et al.
Advances in Functional Materials, 25(6), 977-986 (2015)
Covalent attachment of a three-dimensionally printed thermoplast to a gelatin hydrogel for mechanically enhanced cartilage constructs.
Boere KWM, et al.
Acta Biomaterialia, 10(6), 2602-2611 (2014)
Preparation and characterization of gelatin-poly(methacrylic acid) interpenetrating polymeric network hydrogels as a pH-sensitive delivery system for glipizide.
Gupta NV, et al.
Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 69(1), 64-68 (2007)
Tissue engineering of retina through high resolution 3-dimensional inkjet bioprinting.
Masaeli, et al.
Biofabrication, 12, 25006-25006 (2020)
Multicomponent DNA Polymerization Motor Gels.
Shi, et al.
Small, 16, e2002946-e2002946 (2021)

Our team of scientists has experience in all areas of research including Life Science, Material Science, Chemical Synthesis, Chromatography, Analytical and many others.

Contact Technical Service