Oral, Gingival & Mucosal Tissue Models
Buccal, gingival, oesophageal, bladder and vaginal epithelium from the two skin-model suppliers, almost all outside the guideline system.
| Category | Ready-to-Use 3D Tissue Models |
|---|---|
| Unit | One kit of tissues (kit size supplier-defined) or one HTS plate |
| Lead time | 2-5 weeks against supplier production schedules; niche models may be produced less often than weekly |
| Pricing | By quotation |
| Provenance | Partner manufactured |
| Data current | 2026-09-03 |
Description
Human mucosal epithelium supplied as living tissue on inserts, from the same production lines and cold chain as the suppliers' flagship skin products. MatTek catalogues EpiOral for oral mucosal absorption, drug delivery, oral irritation and oral candidiasis, EpiGingival for raw material and formulation evaluation, and EpiVaginal as a vaginal-ectocervical model positioned for feminine hygiene product safety, microbicide testing, HIV-1 and other STD infection research and drug delivery. EPISKIN catalogues SkinEthic HGE gingival, HO2E oesophageal, HBE bladder and HVE vaginal epithelium. Almost none of it sits inside a regulatory guideline. Reconstructed epidermis has OECD TG 439 and TG 431 and cornea-like epithelium has TG 492; oral, gingival, oesophageal, bladder and vaginal models have supplier characterisation data and a literature, which moves the entire specification burden onto the buyer. The load-bearing specification is keratinisation. Buccal, oesophageal and vaginal epithelium are non-keratinised; gingival and hard-palate epithelium are keratinised; permeability differs by orders of magnitude between them, and a keratinised model used for a buccal delivery question will under-predict flux while producing clean, reproducible data. TG 492 requires the corneal construct to be non-keratinised with at least three viable layers precisely because the distinction matters, and nobody imposes that requirement on an oral model, so it has to go in the RFQ by name with histology to confirm it. For infection work the antibiotic and antifungal question is upstream and hard: MatTek publishes gentamicin at 5 micrograms/mL and amphotericin B at 0.25 micrograms/mL as standard on its airway line with agent-free variants available and agents removed at least three days before shipment. Residual amphotericin B in a Candida challenge is an experiment that cannot work, and it cannot be washed out at the bench. No supplier in this category publishes a price.
Why this is hard to buy today
There is no externally set acceptance criterion anywhere in this category, so 'each batch is QC'd' is a common and entirely compliant answer to the only question that matters, and a keratinisation mismatch produces beautiful reproducible data answering the wrong question.
Price evidence
No supplier in the mucosal model category publishes a price. Both MatTek and EPISKIN were checked on 2026-09-01 and every model in the range is quote only; we do not estimate one.
These are supplier list prices we located and recorded, not a quotation from Wetware World. Your price depends on quantity, specification and freight, and is only binding once issued in writing.
What you must specify
A quote cannot be produced without these. Anything you leave open, a supplier will assume, usually expensively.
| # | Parameter |
|---|---|
| 01 | Which epithelium, named anatomically: buccal, gingival, hard palate, oesophageal, bladder, vaginal, ectocervical |
| 02 | Keratinised or non-keratinised, stated explicitly and confirmed by histology |
| 03 | Number of viable cell layers and the differentiation markers demonstrated |
| 04 | Batch release criterion in units, with the acceptance range and the measurement method |
| 05 | Validated culture duration in days, with feeding schedule and medium |
| 06 | Medium variant: antibiotic-free, antifungal-free, phenol-red-free, ordered upstream of the three-day removal window |
| 07 | Format and insert diameter confirmed to exist for this specific model rather than the flagship |
| 08 | Kit size and minimum order quantity worked against the replicate count |
| 09 | Production frequency and order-by date for this model specifically |
| 10 | For infection work: pathogen, endpoint, challenge duration and containment level |
Quality documentation
Typically available with this item. What actually ships is confirmed on the quotation, per supplier.
- Lot release testing by the manufacturer
- Histology per lot or per product where the supplier provides it
- Barrier function measurement where the supplier publishes a criterion
- Sterility checks
Candidate suppliers
Organisations we have identified as capable. Listing does not imply a partnership, an endorsement, or that they have agreed to quote.
| Organisation | Basis for inclusion |
|---|---|
| MatTek (Sartorius) | Ships living, metabolically active 3D human epithelial tissue. The 2025 EpiDerm technical specification establishes the house pattern across the range: standard kit of 24 tissues, 9 mm and 22 mm inserts plus 96-well HTS, shipped at 4 C on medium-supplemented agarose gels on a fixed weekly cadence, shelf life of days including transit. No public price on any tissue SKU. |
| EPISKIN | Publishes the model range and application mapping for SkinEthic HCE (corneal), HGE (gingival), HO2E (oesophageal), HBE (bladder), HVE (vaginal) and the RHE epidermis family, with small, medium and large formats plus HTS 24-well and 96-well plates. Specifications published, no pricing. Captured 2026-09-01. |
Sources
doc WW-TM-94360 · rev 2026-09-03 · research use only · prices indicative and not binding until quoted in writing