Carly Schwartz

Nanofiber Solutions

Nanofiber Solutions develops and markets electrospun nanofiber substrates for cell culture and drug development applications in standard multiwell plates or it can be scaled for larger configurations. Historically, general cell culture has been performed on flat, tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) because it is cheap, optically clear, and many cells grow well on it. In reality, however, living organisms are made up of an extracellular matrix (ECM) that presents both aligned physical structure and mechanical support to the cells. Adherent cells are complex, self-sustaining units that require ECM anchorage to proliferate and undergo normal differential function. TCPS lacks this aligned three-dimensional (3-D) component and cells behave very differently on this flat, smooth substrate than they do in true biological settings. Not surprisingly, drugs developed using TCPS as an in vitro substrate experience a >99% failure rate in clinical studies.