Matrigel is the trade name for the solubilized basement membrane matrix secreted by Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) mouse sarcoma cells produced by Corning Life Sciences.
[1][2] A common laboratory procedure is to dispense small volumes of chilled (4 °C) liquid Matrigel onto plastic tissue culture labware.
When incubated at 37 °C (body temperature) the Matrigel proteins polymerize (solidify) producing a recombinant basement membrane that covers the labware's surface.
Matrigel is also commonly used to prepare human tumor xenografts in rodents as part of a cancer drug discovery program.
The chief components of Matrigel are structural proteins such as laminin, nidogen, collagen and heparan sulfate proteoglycans which present cultured cells with the adhesive peptide sequences that they would encounter in their natural environment.