Applications of the ElastoSens™ Bio
in biomaterials and life Sciences
Bringing soft matter to life one application at a time with advanced biomaterials testing and analysis.
The ElastoSens™ Bio helps biologists and material scientists unlock scientific discoveries and technological advancements thanks to advanced features and capabilities to test the mechanical properties of biomaterials.
Discover below how the ElastoSens™ Bio measures without contact and non-destructively the viscoelasticity of forming or degrading hydrogels, bioengineered tissues, hemostatic agents, blood and plasma clots, 3D bioprinted structures and biokins, and much more.
Formulation of hydrogels
ElastoSens Bio tests smarter and gives you the power of Soft Matter Analytics™ to accelerate the formulation and testing of hydrogels. Test the formation, stability and degradation of your material using the same sample, over long periods of time and under fully controled environmental conditions.
Degradation of hydrogels
The ElastoSens™ Bio was used to measure the mechanical properties of different hydrogels during their enzymatically or physically induced degradation. The use of removable sample holders facilitates the study of long term and slow degradation processes.
Tissue engineering
Non-destructive, contact-free viscoelastic testing of fragile biomaterials is now possible. See how the ElastoSens™ Bio can test long-term evolution of cell-laden hydrogels on the same sterile sample with advanced biomaterials testing and analysis.
Hemostatic Agents & Blood Coagulation
ElastoSens™ Bio is the unique viscoelasticity testing instrument that measures, in real time, the formation of blood clots under the action of hemostatic agents. Test hemostatic gauzes, powders and gels in vitro to develop products, to accelerate preclinical studies or to control the quality of medical devices.
3D Bioprinting
In 3D bioprinting, the ElastoSens™ Bio is used to non-destructively test the mechanical properties of: bioinks, 3D printed hydrogels and 3D bioprinted structures. The measured mechanical properties correlates with the printability of the bioink, with the architecture of the printed structure or with the growth of cells.
Photocrosslinking
Use ElastoSens™ Bio to apply light at selected wavelengths (365 nm, 385 nm, and 405 nm) during testing to obtain the crosslinking kinetics in real time of photocrosslinkable biomaterials. The study of photocrosslinking processes of hydrogels is simplified thanks to the high flexibility of the instrument: selectable/combinable wavelengths, adjustable intensities and custom irradiation cycles.
Mechanical properties of native tissues
The ElastoSens™ Bio is used to measure ex vivo the viscoelastic or mechanical properties of soft native tissues.
Adipose tissue is more than a passive fat reservoir — it plays structural, protective, metabolic, and endocrine roles in the human body. Its mechanical properties, shaped by the cellular and extracellular matrix components, influence how fat stores expand, protect organs, and interact with surrounding tissues. These properties also affect how adipose tissue responds to external forces, from surgical manipulation to metabolic stress.
The skin is not only the body’s largest organ but also a dynamic mechanical barrier that protects against environmental stress, regulates water balance, and contributes to sensory perception. Its function depends heavily on the structural organization of collagen, elastin, and other dermal components, which together give rise to unique mechanical behaviors such as elasticity, stiffness, and viscoelasticity. Measuring these properties provides insight into how skin responds to forces in daily life, from stretching and compression to shear.
The breast is a heterogeneous organ composed of adipose, glandular, fibrous tissues, skin, and connective elements such as Cooper’s ligaments. Each of these components contributes to its structural integrity and physiological roles, from supporting lactation to maintaining shape and mobility. The mechanical properties of breast tissue—such as elasticity, stiffness, and viscoelasticity—reflect its microstructure and composition, and they vary with age, hormonal state, and health status.
The mechanical characterization of biological soft membranes such as skin, pericardium, or hydrogel-based samples is challenging and often results in sample damage. The Membrane Sample Holder of the ElastoSens™ Bio has been designed for facilitating the loading and the handling of membrane samples allowing proper mechanical testing. In this study, the elasticity of bovine pericardium membranes were precisely measured using the ElastoSens™ Bio...
Enzymes are commonly used in the field of regenerative medicine to degrade native tissues for the extraction of cells and other components, or as a part of physiological-like fluids to mimic in vivo conditions for biomaterials in development. The performance of enzymes can be measured in terms of weight loss or mechanical properties. The viscoelastic properties of kidney tissue during incubation with collagenase was precisely measured using the ElastoSens™ Bio...
The emerging field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have the noble goal to develop lab-grown human tissues or alternative biomaterials to assist in their self-healing. In order to be functional in the human body, these biomaterials need to meet specific requirements of the intended site of implantation both in terms of biological, biochemical, and physical properties.
Superabsorbent Polymers
The swelling and liquid absorption by superabsorbent polymers (SAP) can be tested in real time using the ElastoSens™ Bio. The SAP gel formation depends on the nature and amount of the absorbed liquid as well as the chemical composition of the polymer.
Soft Polymers Library
ElastoSens™ Bio is used to non-destructively test the mechanical properties of Soft Polymers.
Silk fibroin is a naturally derived structural protein primarily obtained from the cocoons of silkworms, most commonly Bombyx mori. In its native form, silk fibers consist of a fibroin core surrounded by sericin, a glue-like protein that is removed during processing. Regenerated silk fibroin can be dissolved in aqueous solutions and reassembled into multiple material formats, including hydrogels.
Pluronic hydrogels are synthetic, thermo-responsive hydrogels formed from amphiphilic triblock copolymers composed of poly(ethylene oxide)–poly(propylene oxide)–poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO–PPO–PEO). These polymers, also known as poloxamers, are industrially synthesized via controlled polymerization and are available in a wide range of molecular weights and block ratios. In aqueous environments, Pluronic copolymers self-assemble into micellar structures driven by the temperature-dependent hydrophobicity of the PPO block.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring, linear polysaccharide belonging to the family of non-sulfated glycosaminoglycans. It is composed of repeating disaccharide units of D-glucuronic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine linked through alternating β-1,3 and β-1,4 glycosidic bonds. HA is a major component of the extracellular matrix in vertebrate tissues, where it contributes to hydration, space filling, and viscoelasticity.
Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) is a photocrosslinkable hydrogel derived from gelatin, itself obtained by partial hydrolysis of collagen, the primary structural protein of the extracellular matrix (ECM). GelMA is synthesized by reacting gelatin with methacrylic anhydride, introducing methacryloyl functional groups onto gelatin’s amino acid residues while preserving most of its native bioactive motifs.
Gelatin hydrogels are three-dimensional, water-swollen polymer networks derived from gelatin, a natural polypeptide obtained by partial hydrolysis of collagen. Collagen is one of the most abundant structural proteins in the extracellular matrix of mammalian tissues, and its denaturation yields gelatin with a linear molecular structure rich in Gly–X–Y amino acid sequences, primarily glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline.
Fibrin hydrogels are natural, protein-based biomaterials formed from fibrin, the insoluble polymer generated during blood coagulation. Fibrin originates from fibrinogen, a plasma glycoprotein composed of three paired polypeptide chains that assemble into a fibrous network upon enzymatic activation. In physiological conditions, fibrin formation is triggered by thrombin-mediated cleavage of fibrinogen, exposing polymerization sites that drive spontaneous self-assembly into a hydrated, porous matrix.