Liquid Like Solids (LLS™) are Aurita’s patented 3D cell culture medium for both perfusion and static environments. Made from polyacrylamide hydrogel particles, LLS™ is a class of materials that act like a liquid when in shear yet retain properties of a solid when in a packed bed while leaving behind a network of channels reminiscent of a capillary network. LLS™ can be handled with pipettes just like a liquid, but will settle into a bed supporting solid objects like cells, organoids, or explants. LLS™ is tunable to the requirements of a given situation, whether for single cells, organoids, activation beads, or otherwise. Inert LLS™ is sold in 50 mL aliquots.
To purchase, please send an email to info@auritabio.com.
Standard LLS™ is optimized for perfusion in Darcy Plates™ at a flow rate of about 1 mL per hour across the entire plate when set up according to the provided instructions. This flow rate has been shown to maintain high levels of viability for both tissue explants and isolated cell cultures alike, while allowing for a 20 to 24 hour period between feed reservoir refills. Tuning of parameters like stiffness, yield stress, particle size, and permeability are accessible upon request.
Devoid of any surface coating, the culture of dispersed single cells in LLS™ encourages spheroid formation for adherent cells, while allowing ameboid style motility for non-adherent cells. Cell cultures can be maintained for long durations and at high cell densities while in perfusion in LLS™. The transparent nature of LLS™ means samples can be inspected in situ with standard brightfield or fluorescence microscopy. Removal of samples from LLS™ is as simple as diluting with an appropriate buffer solution and washing away the particles.
Staining, fixation, dosing with drugs, or administration of other soluble factors is all possible in LLS™ by either perfusion in a Darcy Plate™, diffusion in static samples, or with periodic mixing for pre or post-perfusion operations. The mesh size of the hydrogel particles is about 7 nm, making the particles permeable to most small molecules while excluding larger species like antibodies or viruses.
LLS™ is shipped in excess liquid (1X PBS), and should be equilibrated with the culture medium of choice before use by centrifuging the mixture, replacing supernatant with media, then mixing and allowing to sit for at least 2 hours. LLS™ should be stored with excess liquid at 4ºC and away from direct sunlight.
