How Can We Help You?

How Can We Help You?

Here you can find our sample protocols for our scaffolds as well as answers for the most commonly asked questions

Getting Started

Thank you for joining us on this collaborative journey. Below are guidelines on how to use our scaffolds in our sample kits. These are not meant to be used in every application, but rather as a launching point for your research with VivoTex Scaffolds. Please reach out to us if you have further questions.

You can also download a printable version of our guide and protocol here.

  • Intended Use

    VivoTexTM scaffolds are custom-designed to augment your research, enhancing results that advance your scientific discoveries. VivoTexTM scaffolds are shipped sterile, placed inside low-attachment tissue culture plates, and can be used directly for cell culture applications. The scaffold kit does not contain any living cells or materials. VivoTexTM scaffolds are suited for research use only. Not approved for applications to humans or animals, or for diagnostic use.

  • Required Equipment and Materials (not supplied)

    • Cell suspension: Prepare cells in suspension at a recommended concentration of 1 × 10⁶ cells/mL in culture medium.
    • Culture Medium: It is recommended to use cell culture medium supplemented with 10% (v/v) serum (e.g. Fetal Bovine Serum) and 1% (v/v) antimicrobial agents (e.g., Penicillin-Streptomycin).
    • Water bath or heat block
    • Sterile Pipettes and pipette tips
    • Biosafety cabinet
    • Incubator (37°C, 5% CO₂)
    • Ethanol for work area sterilization
    • Sterile forceps (optional for scaffold handling)
    • Sterile 1.5 mL microcentrifuge tubes (optional for scaffold handling)

  • Procedural Guidelines

    • All steps should be performed using biological aseptic techniques using a Biological Safety cabinet to maintain sterility of the product.
    • All kit components can be used at room temperature (18-25°C) Use disposable, individually wrapped, sterile plasticware and sterile tubes, pipettes tips, and forceps.
    • The biological performance is dependent on the cells used. It is recommended to always include a 2D culture control (without VivoTexTM scaffolds) to confirm cell attachment capacity using cell-culture treated well plates.
    • Wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment in accordance with the biological hazards introduced in your culture protocol (cell type and culture medium)

Preparations

Sterilization

  • One day before starting your experiment, immerse VivoTex MEW scaffolds scaffolds in 70% ethanol for 30 minutes under sterile conditions.
  • Wash the scaffolds with Phosphate Buffer Solution (Solution B) three times (5min per wash) under sterile conditions.

Pre-treatment 1: Etching

  • One day before of your experiment, treat the VivoTex scaffolds with the supplied etching solution (solution A) for 10-30 minutes under sterile conditions.
  • Wash the scaffolds with Phosphate Buffer Solution (Solution B) three times (5min per wash) under sterile conditions.
  • Remove solution B from the scaffolds and allow the scaffolds to air dry inside the biosafety cabinet, leaving the lid off the well plate (1-2h).
  • Proceed with the steps for protein adsorption or cell seeding, as outlined below.

Pre-treatment 2: Protein adsorption

  • Before starting your experiment, treat the VivoTexTM scaffolds with serum containing media (e.g. 10% FBS) for 2-24 hours under sterile conditions.
  • Remove the culture media and proceed with the steps for seeding cells outlined below.
  • Remove solution B from the scaffolds and allow the scaffolds to air dry inside the biosafety cabinet, leaving the lid off the well plate (1-2h).

Protocol

Cell Seeding

  • Prepare a cell suspension at 1 × 10⁶ cells/mL.
  • Carefully pipette 100 μL of cell suspension (containing 100,000 cells) directly onto the center of each scaffold.
  • Allow cells to attach for 1-3 hours at 37°C in the incubator without additional media.
    Note: Do not let the samples dry out. As needed, carefully replenish with 10-40 μL of cell culture medium ~each hour without overflowing the scaffold or dissociating the cells from the sample. The incubation time is dependent on the cell type used. Include a 2D control to confirm cell attachment of the specific cell type used. Confirm initial seeding and attachment under an inverted microscope before adding more media.
  • After incubation, gently add 900 μL of cell culture medium to each well to bring the total volume to 1 mL per well.

Cell Culturing

  1. Incubate the well plate with the cell-seeded samples at 37°C and 5% CO₂.
    Note: The scaffolds are compatible with a wide range of standard CO₂ incubators, tri-gas incubators, and hypoxia chambers designed for cell culture applications. Select the appropriate incubation environment based on the experimental requirements.
  2. Replace the culture media according to your standard cell culture protocol (e.g., every 2–3 days).
    * Carefully aspirate the spent media from the side of each well to avoid disturbing the scaffolds.
    * Gently add 1 mL of pre-warmed complete DMEM to each well.
    Note: Ensure all media handling is performed under sterile conditions to maintain culture integrity.
  3. Determine culture duration based on the intended downstream application:
    * Short-term culture (24–72 hours): Recommended for studies focused on cell attachment and proliferation.
    * Long-term culture (4–56 days): Suitable for applications involving extracellular matrix production or cellular differentiation.
    Note: Optimal culture duration may vary depending on cell type and experimental design. Always refer to your specific assay requirements.

Troubleshooting

  • If scaffold flotation is observed during seeding or early culture, consider the following approaches to promote stability:
    * Pre-wet the scaffolds with complete culture media for an extended period prior to cell seeding to enhance saturation and reduce buoyancy.
    * Use sterile weighting devices, such as stainless steel or Teflon rings, to gently anchor the scaffolds without compromising sterility or cell viability.
    Note: Ensure that any materials used for weighting are biocompatible and have been sterilized according to your laboratory’s protocols.
  • To promote uniform cell distribution across the scaffold, minimize movement of the culture vessel during the first few hours post-seeding. Furthermore, avoid adding excess culture media too early, as this may dislodge cells from the scaffold surface, particularly at the edges. Smaller media volumes can be used by preparing a more concentrated cell suspension (1-10 × 10⁶ cells/mL) to ensure a droplet based seeding method.
  • If poor cell attachment is observed, verify the incubation time required for initial cell adhesion by performing a comparative optimization using standard 2D tissue culture conditions.
    Note: Scaffolds typically require longer incubation times for effective cell attachment compared to standard tissue culture plastic controls.

FAQ

Currently, scaffolds are available in 24-well plates. However, we can produce other formats, including higher-density well plates. Please contact us to discuss your needs — we're happy to explore custom options.

Not at this time. We're initially launching scaffolds in well plates and plan to expand to insert formats in the future.



We currently use clear, untreated well plates.

We expect to be able to offer sterile scaffolds in all well plate sizes in Q3 2025.

No, the scaffolds cannot be sterilized in an autoclave as they will melt at temperatures higher than 60C.

The sample kit is currently offered in a single configuration. Please contact us to discuss your needs — we're happy to explore custom options.

Creating a custom scaffold is a collaborative process. We begin by learning about your research focus, your current tools or methods, and what you’re aiming to achieve. We’ll also review which of our existing scaffold designs you think could be a good starting point. Additionally, you can request a free sample kit with diverse designs, test them and customize the preferred design.

PCL is the only material we are currently
offering; however, we are always exploring new alternative materials. 

We can offer scaffolds with fiber diameters from 5–30 µm, inter-fiber spacing of 100 µm and above, and thicknesses ranging from 50–500 µm. Multilayer scaffolds can also be designed to include specific features (e.g., organoid-supporting fiber nets). Please contact us to discuss your needs — we're happy to explore custom options.

We can produce custom scaffolds larger than a standard 6-well plate. Technical feasibility depends on your specific requirements — please contact us to discuss.


Didn't find what you need?

Contact us at either info@vivotex.com or 855-vivotex