Suspension culture on microcarriers and as aggregates enables expansion and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs)

This publication compares microcarrier-based and aggregate-based expansion of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in single-use Vertical-Wheel bioreactors. Human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells were cultured under parallel conditions and evaluated for growth, viability, pluripotency, and differentiation potential. By day 6, microcarrier cultures achieved 22-fold expansion and 2.2 × 10? cells/mL, while aggregate cultures achieved 18-fold expansion and 1.8 × 10? cells/mL. Both methods maintained high viability, stable pluripotency-marker expression, normal PSC characteristics, and the ability to differentiate into all three germ layers, neural progenitor cells, and cardiomyocytes. The study found no significant quality or performance differences between the two suspension-culture strategies, supporting both approaches as scalable options for PSC manufacturing with the Vertical-Wheel