Kuraray to Release SCAPOVA™ AS PVA Microcarrier

—A Versatile Scaffold Material for Broader Solutions, Including AOF and iPS Cell Culture—

Kuraray Co., Ltd.

Kuraray Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Hitoshi Kawahara) will release SCAPOVA™ AS, a new variant in the SCAPOVA™ PVA microcarrier series, on December 1, 2025, within Japan.

SCAPOVA™ AS is an uncoated type featuring a specially treated PVA hydrogel surface. Users can easily customize the surface by coating preferred adhesion molecules—such as ECM proteins (vitronectin, fibronectin, laminin), laminin-derived products like iMatrix-511 (Matrixome), synthetic peptides like Synthemax® II (Corning), as well as poly-L-lysine or collagen—to optimize adhesion for specific cell types. This flexibility expands the range of cells that can be cultured, including applications such as iPS cell culture using iMatrix-511, and other cell types that do not thrive on collagen-coated carriers.

Because SCAPOVA™ AS is Animal Origin Free (AOF), it enables xeno-free and serum-free culture systems. It addresses the growing demand for materials free from animal-derived components in regenerative medicine, where high safety standards are essential.

SCAPOVA™ AS will also be available in the U.S. market together with SCAPOVA™ CL.
For details on specifications and distributions, please contact us.

About SCAPOVA™

SCAPOVA™ is a PVA-based microcarrier designed as a scaffold for cell culture. Thanks to the properties of its PVA hydrogel material, it resists damage during agitation and enables safe, efficient three-dimensional culture. The product is specialized for regenerative medicine applications and is manufactured under quality management equivalent to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice).

Product Lineup
- SCAPOVA™ CL: Collagen-coated type
- SCAPOVA™ AS: Uncoated type

Product Website https://www.kuraray.co.jp/microcarriers/

Contact Life Innovation Business Promotion Department Contact.LIPG@kuraray.com