Key Features
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Material Screening Kit for Microcarrier Selection
$500.00
Description
The Material Screening Kit is designed to help researchers identify the most suitable Smart MCs microcarrier family for their cell type and application before beginning process optimisation or scale-up.
Cell attachment, expansion, and harvesting performance can vary depending on the underlying microcarrier material and coating chemistry. To simplify the initial evaluation, the kit includes medium-stiffness versions of each Smart MCs microcarrier family, allowing researchers to compare material performance while keeping stiffness consistent across all samples.
For P2M microcarriers, both the animal-derived coating and the xeno-free/human protein-coated option are included, enabling comparison of coating chemistries alongside the different microcarrier materials.
By identifying the most suitable material and coating first, researchers can then optimise stiffness and other microcarrier properties within the selected platform, creating a more efficient and systematic development workflow.
The Material Screening Kit includes approximately 5,500 cm² of total growth surface area across the included microcarrier families.
What’s Included
The Material Screening Kit contains medium-stiffness versions of the following Smart MCs microcarrier families:
- X1M – Gelatin-based dissolvable microcarriers
- P1M – Synthetic microcarriers
- P2M – Plant-based dissolvable microcarriers with animal-derived coating
- P2M – Plant-based dissolvable microcarriers with xeno-free coating
Each microcarrier is supplied in its medium stiffness profile to provide a consistent basis for comparing material and coating performance using your own cells.
Recommended Screening Process
We recommend beginning all new microcarrier evaluations with the Material Screening Kit.
🚩Step 1 – Compare Microcarrier Families
Evaluate the medium-stiffness versions of the Smart MCs microcarrier families using your own cells to determine which material and coating best support cell attachment, expansion, and recovery.
▶Step 2 – Optimise Stiffness
Once the preferred microcarrier family has been identified, evaluate Soft, Medium, and Hard stiffness profiles within that material to optimise cell performance.
▶Step 3 – Customise Your Microcarrier
Following material selection and stiffness optimisation, additional parameters—including particle size, surface charge, coating chemistry, and grade—can be tailored to suit your research or manufacturing workflow.
Compare Our Microcarrier Families
The Material Screening Kit allows researchers to compare the key characteristics of each Smart MCs microcarrier family before progressing to optimisation studies.
| Feature | P1 | X1 | P2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material | Synthetic polymer | Gelatin-based | Plant-based biopolymer |
| Dissolvable | No | Yes | Yes |
| Harvest Method | Standard separation | TrypLE or Trypsin | TrypLE + P2 Dissolving Buffer |
| Typical Dissolution | N/A | 20–30 minutes | <10 minutes |
| Coating Options | User-applied | Native gelatin | Animal-derived or xeno-free/human protein |
| Customisation | Size, stiffness, charge | Size, stiffness, coatings | Size, stiffness, coatings |
The complete technical comparison table is provided below.
Applications
The Material Screening Kit is suitable for:
- Microcarrier selection studies
- Adherent cell culture process development
- Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) expansion
- Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) culture
- HEK293T cell culture
- Myoblast and fibroblast expansion
- Virus production
- Cell therapy development
- Cultured meat research
- Bioprocess development and scale-up
Why Start with the Material Screening Kit?
Selecting the appropriate microcarrier family early can reduce development time and streamline process optimisation.
The Material Screening Kit enables researchers to:
- Compare Smart MCs microcarrier families under consistent conditions
- Evaluate material and coating performance using medium-stiffness microcarriers
- Identify the most suitable platform before stiffness optimisation
- Reduce unnecessary optimisation of unsuitable materials
- Progress confidently to customised or GMP-grade microcarriers
Additional information
| Kit Contents | X1M, P1M, P2M (Animal-Derived Coating), and P2M (Xeno-Free/Human Protein Coating) |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Initial screening of Smart MCs microcarrier families to identify the most suitable material for specific cell types and applications |
| Included Stiffness | Medium stiffness for all included microcarrier families |
| Total Available Surface Area | Approximately 5,500 cm² |
| Particle Size | 160-260 µm (customisable) |
| Material Platforms | Gelatin-based, Synthetic Polymer, and Plant-based Biopolymer |
| Surface Coating Options | Animal-derived and Xeno-Free/Human Protein-coated P2M microcarriers included |
| Material Form | Freeze-dried powder (supplied based on surface area) |
| Customisation Available | Soft, Medium, and Hard stiffness profiles, particle size, surface charge, coatings, and custom formulations available following material selection |
| Grade Availability | Research and GMP Grade |
| Certificate of Analysis | Provided for each included microcarrier |
