Bac3gel: Universal 3D Bacterial Matrix

Bac3Gel is a universal 3D substrate for bacterial culture, able to mimic human physiological and pathological mucus. It can be used in the pharmaceutical sector for the screening of antimicrobial and antiviral agents, for drug permeability tests and to restore the skin microbiota. It also allows to study the interactions between viruses and mucus, fundamental to understand and prevent viral transmission / infection processes. Other sectors of application are cosmetics and nutraceuticals.

Bac3Gel is a bacterial growth substrate with a modulable gradient of oxygen (or other gasses) and nutrients. This allows seeded bacteria to colonize the ideal location in the gel that provides suitable growth conditions. This feature provides the possibility to culture both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, even simultaneously if desired. Even when colonizing a surface in their natural environment, bacteria tend to create three-dimensional biofilm structures, which are ideal culture conditions that neither the agar’s surface nor suspension culture medium (planktonic) are able to provide. It also allows studying the interaction of drugs and microorganisms, including viruses, with mucin. Bac3Gel was designed in order to mimic the mechanical and morphological characteristics of the human mucus. A range of Bac3Gel variations has been technologically validated to mimic the properties of human mucus from the various epidermal anatomic regions (lung, gut, gastric, vaginal, skin), in both healthy and pathological mucus states.