Human skin is largely composed of a collagen-rich connective tissue, which provides structural and functional support. This connective tissue which is the dermal extracellular matrix (ECM) produced, organized, and maintained by dermal fibroblasts and confers strength and resiliency to skin. In young skin, fibroblasts produce and adhere to the dermal Read more…
Increased ExtraCellular Matrix (ECM) stiffness is a common process in many cancers (Pickup et al, 2014). This process influences the behaviour of cancer cells in the tumour microenvironment. The accumulation of ECM in the stroma is mainly due to a high production of ECM molecules by TGF-β(Transforming Growth Factor-beta) -stimulated Read more…
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an integral component of all organs and plays a pivotal role in tissue homeostasis and repair. ECM actively supports and maintains the dynamic interplay between tissue compartments as well as embedded resident and recruited inflammatory cells in response to pathologic stimuli. The inflammation process involves Read more…
Scanning Electron Microscopy (EM) has been an indispensable tool for Biological sciences. A great challenge was propelled by the need to find methods to better preserve and analyze structures at a state closest to the native state. With BIOMIMESYS® hydroscaffold technology, we have developed a new method to use SEM Read more…
HCS Pharma était présent au Workshop OoC pour une création et une structuration de la filière, organisé par Biovalley à l’Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (Paris). Nous sommes très heureux d’avoir pu sponsoriser l’événement, mais aussi tout simplement d’y avoir participé – en présentiel – et de pouvoir discuter avec des chercheurs Read more…
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a linear polymer in which a simple disaccharide is repeated thousands of time, thereby creating a huge hydrophilic molecule that confers a large volume of hydration and contributes to the turgor and flexibility of healthy skin. HA is dynamically produced by most skin cells, not only Read more…
About 90% of drug candidates fail in clinical trials, for efficacy- and toxicity-related reasons, which often involve the Central Nervous System (CNS). This high failure rate highlights a lack of relevance in experimental models used upstream, including human in vitro models. Indeed, they do not take into account the complexity Read more…
2022 is beginning, but 2021 ended in the most beautiful way… with Véronique De Conto‘s PhD defense. She successfully defended her PhD thesis about the importance of the microenvironment in cerebral in vitro models for phenotypic screening. We had the privilege to maintain the PhD defense on-site, even if one member Read more…
Launched in 2016, the adventure is coming to an end after 5 years of work carried out within the RHU CHOPIN (CHOlesterol Personalized INnovation), and with a strong collaboration between HCS Pharma and l’Institut du thorax. This collaborative project of national scope was led by Professor Bertrand Cariou, director of Read more…
The lung is a vital organ which allows gas exchanges between the external environment and the body. These gas exchanges take place in alveoli, formed by 2 cell types : pneumocytes I and II (Martinez et al., 2017). The alveolar wall is supported by a basal membrane mainly composed of collagen Read more…
BIOMIMESYS® Liver recreates the complex cellular microenvironment of the liver to extend longevity and functionality of hepatocytes in culture: The life of human primary hepatocytes grown in a 2D sandwich is low, 3-10 days (1) and is accompanied by dedifferentiation, leading to the loss of their functions. In 2D culture, Read more…
In 2020, Nia et al. published in the journal Science a review entitled ‘Physical traits of cancer‘. In this article, the authors proposed 4 distinct physical traits of cancer linked to the biomechanical abnormalities observed in tumoral tissues : an enhanced solid stress (compression and tension), i.e. the mechanical forces Read more…
2D cell culture has been used for more than 100 years now, to keep cells outside of their original organism and to use them for different purposes. It is still widely used in research and early steps of the drug discovery process, and has allowed a bunch of discoveries so Read more…
The morphological changes in cells during differentiation are accompanied by a profound change at the molecular level. In vivo, the adipocyte differentiation process includes early and late events due to differential gene regulation. The appearance of these markers is a sign of differentiation of pre-adipocytes and hence the development of Read more…
As you might know, October is the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer. Research is the key tool to fight this disease and we are very happy to collaborate with amazing research teams in this fight. Since last year, our Read more…
Want to try 3D cell culture in your lab? Why not testing BIOMIMESYS®, our 3D cell culture system made in France? Please feel free to contact us at hello@biomimesys.com (or with this form) for any question… We will answer in french, or in english 🙂
Have you missed our last webinar with Molecular Devices about 3D oncology models? In April, our project leader Elodie was talking about how to establish and image physiologically relevant 3D cancer in vitro models, using BIOMIMESYS Oncology as a surrogate for the tumoral extracellular matrix. Our product BIOMIMESYS® Oncology matrix Read more…
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the non-cellular component of tissue. Its composition and structure can vary between different tissues. The ECM transmits biochemical and biomechanical cues to the cells within it, ensuring tissue homeostasis. The ECM is a dynamic structure whose composition and organization can be modified as in the Read more…
The extracellular components of the skin can be divided into fiber-forming structural molecules, nonfiber-forming structural molecules, and “matricellular proteins”. Optimal quantities of different matrix components and their delicate interactions are necessary to maintain normal physiologic properties of the skin. Fiber-forming molecules provide a structure to the ECM by creating a Read more…
Context It is well established that the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a central role in cell homeostasis and cell adhesion by providing support, promoting cell-to-cell communication and differentiation (or dedifferentiation and tumoral progression when the ECM is modified). The composition but also the stiffness and elasticity of the ECM have important Read more…
Soria et al. has published this year an interesting study about the modification leading by synucleopathy on the nanoscale organization and diffusivity of the extracellular space, through hyaluronan remodeling. Indeed the extracellular space (ECS), composed by the interstitial fluid and the extracellular matrix (ECM), plays several roles in health and Read more…
Parkinson’s disease affects more than 6 million people worldwide. This neurodegenerative disease is characterized by the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, with intracellular accumulation of alpha-synuclein aggregates known as Lewi bodies. This neuronal loss leads to a decrease in the neurotransmitter dopamine that cause mainly Read more…
On the occasion of the breast cancer awareness month, HCS Pharma is willing to thank all researchers working in the field to better understand the pathophysiology of disease, with the objective to find more efficient anti-cancer therapies. We would like to warmly thank the researchers with whom we are collaborating Read more…