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Bacterial cellulose
Bacterial cellulose is a natural material made from an assembly of sugars very similar to the cellulose found in plants. Contrary to what you might think, it’s not just plants that produce cellulose; some bacteria, yeasts and fungi can too.
Although bacterial cellulose shares similarities with plant cellulose, bacteria, especially those of the Acetobacter genus, create it with unique characteristics. They use this biomaterial to protect themselves and move around. To facilitate their movements in cellulose, bacteria make it highly hydrated, crystalline and pure. What’s more, the fibers they produce are extremely long, considerably enhancing the biomaterial’s mechanical strength. All these properties make bacterial cellulose a highly promising biomaterial for a variety of uses in the medical field.
AxCell Labs bacterial cellulose fibers captured by scanning electron microscopy. AxCell Labs (2022)
Want to know more?
Check out our review article!
, , , J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2024, 141(15), e55163. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.55163
The different forms of bacterial cellulose
At AxCell Labs, bacterial cellulose can be produced in hydrated, compressed and/or dry membrane form. It can also be formulated in powder and hydrogel form. All with the aim of being as flexible as possible to adapt our biomaterial to your needs.
Bacterial cellulose is naturally over 95% hydrated. This gives it several advantages, such as an intercalant or controlled-release medicated dressing.
Small membranes (<2 mm) are ideal for multi-well plates. Ideal for in vitro and in vivo tissue engineering research.
As an injectable hydrogel, bacterial cellulose maximizes its manageability and versatility. In fact, it can be injected directly into subcutaneous pockets, adapting to the available space and promoting the formation of new tissue within its structure.
Freeze-dried bacterial cellulose (in powder or membrane form) is suitable for coupling with other polymers. This form is mainly used in materials engineering.