How the FDA’s roadmap is translating into real regulatory change In April 2026, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a one-year progress update on its Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing in Preclinical Safety Studies. The report highlights how early policy commitments are now being implemented across drug development, signalling a broader shift [...]
A closer look at the research by Díaz-Maneh et al. (2026) The Problem: Scaling Fat Production for Cultured Meat When we talk about the future of food, cultured meat is often at the centre of the conversation. But there’s a secret ingredient that makes meat truly delicious: fat. It provides the flavour, the juicy texture, [...]
Smart MCs will be participating in the Advanced Therapies Congress 2026, taking place 17–18 March 2026 at ExCeL London. The event brings together researchers, biotech companies, and industry professionals working in the field of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs).This year, Smart MCs will be represented by our UK & Europe distributor, TCS Biosciences.Presentation at the [...]
Microcarrier culture illustrating uneven cell seeding, where cells occupy some microcarriers and become confluent and clump, while others remain sparsely populated or empty. “Why are my cells forming clumps instead of evenly coating microcarriers?” Cell clumping is one of the most frequently encountered challenges in microcarrier-based culture, particularly when working with mesenchymal [...]
“Why are my cells sticking to the vessel when I’m using microcarriers?” It’s one of the most common questions researchers ask when working with microcarrier-based cell culture, especially with highly adherent cells like mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). You’ve added microcarriers. Your cells are viable. Agitation looks reasonable. Yet after 24 hours, cells are clearly [...]
As we step into 2026, we’d like to thank everyone who worked with Smart MCs over the past year and supported our journey.We remain focused on doing our work well, maintaining high standards, and building long-term relationships with our customers and partners across the biotechnology and research sectors.Thank YouThank you to our customers, partners, shareholders, [...]
A brief look at recent work by Tan et al., 2025 The Problem: Stem Cells Struggle in Harsh, Inflamed Environments Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are widely studied because they can reduce inflammation and help damaged tissues repair themselves. They’re being explored for conditions such as arthritis, spinal disc degeneration, and chronic inflammation. But there’s [...]
In a paper published by Yang and colleagues, titled “Stem cell recruitment polypeptide hydrogel microcarriers with exosome delivery for osteoarthritis treatment” in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology (2024), the authors describe a hydrogel microcarrier system designed to improve exosome delivery and support cartilage repair. Their work demonstrates how microfluidic fabrication and biomaterial engineering can help [...]
Microcarriers are tiny spherical materials used to grow cells in 3D, especially when large numbers of cells are needed. A recent study explored how a commonly used commercial microcarrier compared with newly developed GelMA-based microcarriers that contain interconnected pores. This comparison helps illustrate how microcarrier design can influence cell behaviour. A recent study titled [...]
The Growing Role of Microcarriers in Cell Culture In regenerative medicine, cell therapy, and cultivated meat production, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are vital for creating tissues like bone, cartilage, and muscle. However, producing these cells at a large scale is challenging because MSCs must attach to a surface to grow. To overcome this limitation, [...]
