MarraBio Cytocaf technology explained
MarraBio's Cytocaf technology is based on a bacterial protein called Caf1, which is either unmodified, or engineered to contain parts of other proteins to gain new functionalities or bioactivities.
Caf1 proteins are produced by bacteria where they form polymers. These protect the bacteria from the immune system by forming a non-stick coat on their surfaces.
Each individual Caf1 protein is small but they associate to form long, flexible and highly stable polymers. The polymers are also bioinert, in that cells don’t stick to or interact with them.
Bioactive peptides can bind to cell receptors to trigger particular bioactivities. These short peptides can be genetically encoded into the caf1 gene. When expressed by bacteria, these modified Caf1 modules form polymers. The bioactivity of these polymers is determined by the peptide they contain.
By using heat as a stimulus, Caf1 polymers can be broken apart and recombined. This allows modules with different bioactivities to be easily combined into a single material.
Cytocaf proteins - Features & Benefits
Highly stable
Free from animal material
Can be exquisitely defined
Characterised and defined
So you know exactly what is being added to the cell culture medium and how cells will respond.
Highly modular
Different modules can be easily combined to form multifunctional materials (such as combining ECM and growth factor modules in a single material).
