CyGEL 

BOS-889-003-5001  5x1 ml

CyGEL is a novel thermoreversible mounting medium for LIVE cells. It can be used as a convenient mounting medium to immobilise non-adherent cells and beads. CyGEL is unusual in that it is a liquid when cold and a gel when warmed!

Key Features:
- Compatible with LIVE cells.
- Optically clear with low autofluorescence.
- Controllable and rapid transition from liquid to gel.
- Convenient immobilisation of non-adherent cells and beads.
- Compatible with GFP and "in gel" fluorescent probes including DRAQ5 (Prod. No. BOS-889-001).

Advantages:
- Allows rapid preparation of cells for gel mounting.
- Permits long term analysis of non-adherent cells.
- Acts as a support matrix for cells, tissues and beads.
- Permits sterile, low temperature recovery of cells from gel.
- Multiple assay formats and applications including apoptosis detection.

Figure: GFP transfected cells mounted in DRAQ5 (Prod. No. BOS-889-001)-doped CyGEL (Prod. No. BOS-889-003).
All nucleated cells are clearly labelled with DRAQ5 (Prod. No. BOS-889-001) paralleled by unaffected GFP fluorescence in the expressing cells.

Figure: Using CyGEL to control the delivery of molecular probes to LIVE cells.

CyGEL (Prod. No. BOS-889-003) strength and temperature can be used to control the diffusional release of a variety of molecular probes to encapsulated cells; the phosphate buffered saline formulation provided has convenient properties for the controlled delivery of fluorochromes to live cells. The graph above, illustrates how DRAQ5 (Prod. No. BOS-889-001) delivery can be conveniently slowed when in CyGEL (Prod. No. BOS-889-003). Each line represents an individual live cell.

Figure: Detection of human apoptotic lymphoma cells trapped and stained with propidium iodide in CyGEL (Prod. No. BOS-889-003).
This picture is a composite of several images taken over time of lymphoma cells. As the cells apoptose they become leaky and allow entry of propidium iodide. The orange areas mark the positions of the cells which have died over the time of observation. This time-lapsed study of suspension cells was made possible by the immobilisation properties of CyGEL (Prod. No. BOS-889-003) and its ability to act as a carrier for dyes and drugs.

Step 1: Add chilled liquid CyGel at +4C to your cells and mix.
Step 2: Quickly dispense onto a microscope slide at room temperature - the liquid will form a gel.
Step 3: Add coverslip to gel.
Step 4: Chill the slide and the gel will rapidly turn to liquid, spreading the mounted sample.
Step 5: Re-gelling sets in rapidly from room temperature to 37C → ready for imaging.  

Manufactured by Biostatus Ltd. CyGEL is a registered trademark of Biostatus Ltd.