Table 1.
Properties of commercially available microcarriers
| Microcarrier | Manufacturer | Diameter (µm) | Matrix | Average density | Surface coating | Surface charge | Carrier porosity | Usage in this study |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mammalian protein‐coated microcarriers | ||||||||
| Collagen | SoloHill Eng. Inc. | 125–212 | Polystyrene | 1.02 | Type I porcine collagen | None | Non‐porous | ✓ (Coll) |
| Cultispher‐G® | Percell‐Biolytica | 130–380 | Type I porcine gelatin | 1.04 | None | None | Macroporous (porosity: 50% pore size: 10–30 µm) | ✓ (CG) |
| Cytodex 3™ | GE Healthcare | 141–211 | Dextran | 1.04 | Type I porcine collagen | None | Non‐porous | ✓ (Cyto3) |
| FACT III | SoloHill Eng. Inc. | 125–212 | Polystyrene | 1.02 | Cationic Type I porcine collagen | + | Non‐porous | ✓ (FACT) |
| SphereCol® | Advanced BioMatrix | 125–212 | Polystyrene | 1.03 | Type I human collagen (VitroCol®) | None | Non‐porous | ✗ |
| Recombinant protein‐coated microcarriers | ||||||||
| ProNectin® F | SoloHill Eng. Inc. | 125–212 | Polystyrene | 1.02 | Recombinant fibronectin | None | Non‐porous | ✓ (Pro‐F) |
| Xeno‐free microcarriers | ||||||||
| Cytodex 1™ | GE Healthcare | 147–248 | Dextran | 1.03 | DEAE | + | Non‐porous | ✓ (Cyto1) |
| Cytopore 1 and 2™ | GE Healthcare | 200–280 | Cotton cellulose | 1.03 | DEAE | + | Micro/Macroporous (porosity: > 90% pore size: 30 µm) | ✗ |
| Enhanced Attachment | Corning | 125–212 | Polystyrene | 1.02 | CellBIND® | None | Non‐porous | ✓ (EA) |
| Glass | SoloHill Eng. Inc. | 125–212 | Polystyrene | 1.02 | High silica glass | None | Non‐porous | ✗ |
| Hillex® CT | SoloHill Eng. Inc. | 90–212 | Polystyrene | 1.12 | Cationic trimethyl ammonium | + | Non‐porous | ✗ |
| Hillex® | SoloHill Eng. Inc. | 160–180 | Dextran | 1.11 | Cationic trimethyl ammonium | + | Non‐porous | ✓ (Hillex) |
| MicroHex™ | Nunc | Side‐length: 125 µm Thickness: 25 µm | Polystyrene | 1.05 | Nunclon™ surface | Not specified | Non‐porous | ✓ (MHex) |
| Plastic | SoloHill Eng. Inc. | 125–212 | Polystyrene | 1.02 | None | None | Non‐porous | ✓ (Plas) |
| Plastic Plus | SoloHill Eng. Inc. | 125–212 | Polystyrene | 1.02 | None | + | Non‐porous | ✓ (Pplus) |
| PVA | Loughborough University | 100–220 | PVA | 1.03 | None | None | Non‐porous | ✓ (PVA) |
| Synthemax II® | Corning | 125–212 | Polystyrene | 1.02 | Synthemax II® | None | Non‐porous | ✓ (Sy) |