- Product Catalog
- Featured
- ABLE® Bioreactor Systems
ABLE 3D Magnetic Stir and Disposable Bioreactor System for Stem Cell Culture
Growth of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in suspension culture in a bioreactor forms spheroids that closely resemble embryoid body structures naturally formed by embryonic stem cells.
ABLE Biott's cost-effective disposable bioreactor system utilizes this growth format to offer improved yield, viability and high efficiency for the expansion and differentiation of human iPSCs.

The ABLE 30 mL Disposable Bioreactor
A delta-wing-shaped impeller with a magnet on each blade, located within the bioreactor, provides low-shear agitation by laminar flow, encouraging the formation and growth of uniform spheroid cell clusters.
The bioreactor allows for the flexibility of using seed stock from single-cell suspensions of iPS stem cells, passaged colony fragments, or mini-spheroids generated from low-adherence cell culture dishes or multi-well plates.
Bioreactor vessels of other sizes are available: 5 mL, 100 mL. The 5 mL size requires a different Stirrer Platform. A 500 mL size designed for a stand-alone bioreactor system, is also available.

Human iPS cells (cell line 1231A3) grown in StemFit™ medium demonstrating the consistency of spheroid sizes after 4 days cultivation in the ABLE 3D Disposable Bioreactor at 40 rpm.
Bioreactor Features
- Bioreactor capacity is 30 mL, enabling 5 to 10-fold cell expansion (up to 5 × 107 cells)
- Typical growth is 200-300 µm spheroids
- Bioreactor is made of high density polycarbonate for compatibility with iPS stem cell cultivation
- Vessel interior is surface treated for bio-compatibility
- Polypropylene screw cap 0.2 µm nylon filter allows for passive gas exchange
Benefits of Spheroid Culture
The ABLE 30 mL Disposable Bioreactor provides a combination of efficiency, embryoid body formation, cell differentiation, and cost savings. The Bioreactor comes ready-to-use for non-adherent cell growth, eliminating the need for high-priced, high performance extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins for coating plasticware. One bioreactor enables expansion for up to 5 × 107 cells; approximately equivalent to cell yield from ten 10 cm culture dishes or ten 6-well plates. Ten dishes have approximately 550 cm2 of combined surface area.
Single cell seeding provides for exponential growth
Human iPS cells (1231A3) were maintained on iMatrix-511 (Cat. No. NP891-011) – coated plates and grown in StemFit® medium (Cat. No. AKN02). Cells were harvested and dissociated into single cells using TrypLE Select (ThermoFisher), washed and counted. The single-cells were then seeded at 105 cells/mL in StemFit medium supplemented with 10 µM Y27632 (Cat. No. 04-0012) and transferred to the ABLE 30 mL Disposable Bioreactor with constant spinner agitation at 55 rpm. Cells were harvested at day 2 and day 4, and spheroids dispersed by TrypLE Select, stained with trypan blue and counted.
ABLE System Configuration
The ABLE 3D System has only two components: a six-channel magnetic stirrer platform (bottom, 30 mL size shown), and an electrical controller and motor unit (top). The Stirrer Platform is placed inside a CO2 cell culture incubator allowing the temperature, humidity and gas controls to be passively managed. The controller unit attaches magnetically to the outside of the incubator, and the motor is connected to the Stirrer Platform by a cable.
Controller and motor
Stirrer platform
ABLE Bioreactor Systems
REPROCELL Cat. No. |
ABLE Cat. No. | Description | Pack Size |
ABBWDW-1013 |
BDW-1013 | ABLE Bioreactor Magnetic Stir System Controller and Motor | 1 each |
ABBWBP05N0S-6 | BWS-S005N0S-6B | ABLE Bioreactor Magnetic Stir System Base 5 mL | 1 each |
ABBWBP03N0S-6 | BWS-S03N0S-6B | ABLE Bioreactor Magnetic Stir System Base 30 mL and 100 mL | 1 each |
ABBWVS05A | BWV-S005A | ABLE 5 mL Disposable Bioreactor | Pack of 6 |
ABBWVS03A-6 | BWV-S03A | ABLE 30 mL Disposable Bioreactor | Pack of 6 |
ABBWVS10B | BWV-S10B | ABLE 100 mL Disposable Bioreactor | Pack of 4 |
ABBWVS10FS | BWV-S10FS | ABLE 100 mL Disposable Bioreactor, Vented Cap | Pack of 4 |
ABBWVS50B | BWV-S50D | ABLE 500 mL Disposable Bioreactor | 1 unit |

References
- Matsuura K. Fabrication of mouse embryonic stem cell-derived layered cardiac cell sheets using a bioreactor culture system. PloS One 7: e52176 (2012).
- Matsuura K. Creation of human cardiac cell sheets using pluripotent stem cells. Biochem Biophy Res Commun 425: 321-327 (2012).
See all ABLE bioreactor systems in the REPROCELL Product Catalog.
ABLE company name and logo and are the property of ABLE Biott Corp., Japan.