Find answers to common questions about TuniCell’s nanofibrillar cellulose – from biomedical applications and storage to regulatory compliance and technical specifications.
Nanofibrillated Cellulose (NFC) refers to cellulose fibers that have been processed to achieve cellulose microfibril units; NFCs have nanoscale (<100 nm) diameters and typical lengths of several micrometers. In contrast to microcrystalline cellulose, NFCs retain both amorphous and crystalline regions and this confers different properties on them.
Tunicate is a marine invertebrate group. It is a sustainable low trophic marine biomass resource that efficiently clean the marine coastal zone by filtering the primary production in the water column.
TUNICELL (or tunicate nanofibrillar cellulose) is derived from tunicate cellulose. Different from wood based cellulosic material, tunicate cellulose is free from lignin and hemicelluloses (some of which are known allergens), and it is ultrapure with a glucose content above 99%.
Tunicate NFC fibers are longer and thicker with a higher aspect ratio than plant NFCs, and they have the highest crystallinity documented in nature (89%). TUNICELL is therefore a particularly well adapted NFC for biomedical applications.
Medical grade means that the material is produced in a GMP validated cleanroom and in accordance to relevant ISO standards and European Pharmacopoeia.
Ocean TuniCell will provide a medical grade hydrogel from nanofibrillar cellulose (TUNICELL). Biomedical applications will need specific regulatory approval. TUNICELL is well adapted for regulatory approval, but you cannot use the material in humans or animals without approval from your regulatory authority.
If you are unsure if you can use TUNICELL for your application, please send us an email at post@oceantunicell.com. We can provide guidance and help in assessing your experimental needs and find the TUNICELL modification that will be best suited for your application.
TUNICELL is distributed as a 2.5% dispersion in pyrogen free/cell grade water with or without an osmolyte (D-Mannitol) to facilitate osmolarity when mixed with cells.
We may also customize TUNICELL (e.g. different concentration) for your application. In this case, please contact us at post@oceantunicell.com.
TUNICELL can be mixed with other polymers and active compounds to facilitate your intended functionality, e.g. mixing with alginate and cross-link with Calcium to make hydrogels, or bioconjugated with fibronectin, collagen or laminin to enhance cell migration.
Tunicate cellulose is composed of >99% glucose, free from impurities such as hemicellulose and lignin. Tunicate cellulose has the highest crystallinity found in nature (89%), and the fibres are longer and thicker with higher aspect ratio (similar to collagen) compared to wood. Ocean TuniCell controls the complete value chain from production of raw material, to extraction of cellulose and further processing into nanocellulose. Our quality control system ensures minimal batch variability and our customers will experience the same high quality of TUNICELL always.
TUNICELL is well adapted for 3D cell culture of both single cells and organoids. The TUNICELL CTC variant is particularly recommended as it is ionically cross-linkable at physiological Calcium concentrations and its transparency facilitates microscopic observations. Ocean TuniCell has also developed protocols to gently recover cells to maximize cell viability and downstream analyses. These protocols avoid the use of enzymes.
Endotoxin levels of TUNICELL are certified to be < 0.5 EU/ml. Endotoxins of bacterial origin stimulate undesirable inflammatory responses in humans.
TUNICELL has excellent properties for 3D reconstruction of organs and tissues. Notably, TUNICELL provides mechanical strength, biocompatibility, it is ultrapure, consistent quality, and has unique and attractive shear thinning properties.
Although TUNICELL is not bioactive, specific activities can be grafted to the fibrils ensuring optimal function of your construct.
Yes, it is possible to do electrospinning with all our TUNICELL products. The unique high mechanical strength due to the length and width of the tunicate nanocellulose fibers allows for the creation of very thin and fine films through electrospinning.
TUNICELL ETC does not crosslink on its own, but both TTC (TEMPO-mediated oxidized) and CTC (carboxymethylated) have some ability to crosslink on their own. To further facilitate hydrogel formation you can mix TUNICELL with other polymers such as alginate and crosslinked with calcium. You may vary the porosity of the hydrogel by changing the ratio between TUNICELL and alginate for optimal functionality. This level of tuning the porosity of a hydrogel is excellent for controlling the release rate of active compounds. An example of this was presented in a recent TERMIS meeting where different ratios of TUNICELL and alginate were mixed and crosslinked to control the rate of hemoglobin release for chronic wound healing applications (Back et al. 2019).
The ultrapurity (>99% glucose), low endotoxin levels (<0.5 EU/ml), neutral bioactivity, biocompatibility (according to ISO10933), mechanical strength and unique shear thinning properties, makes medical grade TUNICELL the material of choice for clinical translation and implementation.
The use of clinically relevant hydrogels in your research and development will generate and build technical files that will facilitate your regulatory path towards final clinical implementation.
NFC should be stored in a refrigerator (+4°C). It is important to never freeze TUNICELL, since this will negatively impact the colloidal stability of the hydrogel.