Media Exchange In iPSC Cell Expansion And Differentiation: A Comparative Study Of UniFuge® Micro And Gravity Sedimentation

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are foundational to cell therapies, but their expansion and differentiation require gentle handling, especially during critical media exchange steps. The susceptibility of iPSC aggregates to shear stress and the limitations of manual, open-system methods like gravity sedimentation—which can compromise cell quality and consistency—underscore the need for closed, low-shear technologies.

This case study investigates the UniFuge Micro (UFMicro) single-use centrifuge as an automated, low-shear alternative to gravity sedimentation during the multi-week differentiation of iPSC aggregates into hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The results of two independent runs showed that the UFMicro system enabled gentle and efficient media exchange, supporting comparable or improved hematopoietic marker expression and final HSC yield relative to the control method. Furthermore, aggregate morphology was well-maintained throughout the protocol.

Discover how this low-shear, closed-system approach validates the UFMicro as a practical solution for integrating automated cell handling into scalable, GMP-aligned iPSC workflows. Download the full case study to see the data.