StemPro Accutase Cell Dissociation Reagent

• Offers gentle dissociation for sensitive cells, such as stem and primary cell types.
• Maintains high cell viability compared to traditional trypsin—Accutase reagent out-performs animal-origin enzymes such as trypsin in preserving viability of stem and primary cells after detachment.
• Preserves surface proteins and epitopes—Because it is gentler, it supports downstream applications such as flow cytometry or surface marker analysis without excessive cleavage of surface antigens.
• Serum-free and animal-component-free formulation—The reagent does not contain mammalian- or bacterial-derived products, helping reduce risk of adventitious agents and making it more suitable for stem cell culture.
• Compatible with adherent and coated substrates—Works effectively on standard tissue culture plasticware and adhesion-coated surfaces (e.g., Geltrex matrix, CELLStart substrate) ensuring flexibility in various culture systems.
• Suitable for a wide range of cell types including hESCs, hNSCs, hMSCs, and neurosphere/suspension cultures—Tested with multiple stem and primary cell lines.
• Convenient workflow—Ready-to-use product requiring no dilution or additional inactivation reagent (serum not required to stop reaction) which simplifies the dissociation process.

Accutase reagent offers single cell passaging of hESC when cultured in StemPro hESC SFM (Figure 1).

Accutase reagent offers efficient dissociation of hNSCs cultured in adherent and neurosphere suspension cultures (Figure 2).

You can use Accutase reagent wherever gentle and efficient dissociation is needed. Gibco has also validated Accutase reagent for use with hESC grown in StemPro hESC SFM and for NSC with StemPro NSC SFM. All the tests resulted in great recovery of cells without losing their properties and maintaining good viability. In addition, the product insert lists examples of cell lines where the application has been validated and published.

Yes, Accutase reagent has been tested to dissociate spheres of neural progenitors (neurospheres).

Yes, during the freezing procedure or shipping, uneven color can be observed. However, it will not compromise the activity or performance of the enzyme. Just make sure to mix the solution by inverting tube or the bottle to get even color before the use.

Yes, thaw it at room temperature or overnight at 4°C to get complete thawing. Otherwise, place in the freezer and refreeze.

Yes, as long as the Accutase reagent is still cool to the touch, it can be used.

Yes, if it is exposed to 37°C just until complete thawing is achieved, it still can be used. However, this could result in decreased enzyme activity and it would take more time to get full dissociation. If you observed this, consider starting a new bottle. If a bottle of Accutase reagent is kept at 37°C for more than one hour, it will lose its activity.

Once thawed, it is recommended to use Accutase reagent within 2 months. However, the internal stability data suggests stable enzyme activity even after 1 year.

No, Accutase reagent is gentle enough that only dilution of the reagent with DPBS or media is required to stop the dissociation activity.

No, Accutase reagent is supplied as a convenient, ready to use reagent. No dilution required prior to use.

No. However, although Accutase reagent is gentle on cells, the optimal time for dissociation should be determined for your specific cell type and application.

StemPro Accutase allows efficient dissociation of hNSCs cultured in adherent and neurosphere suspension cultures (Figure 2).

Panel A

Panel B

Figure 2. Dissociation of human neurosphere. Human neurosphere (A) dissociated into single cell culture (B) using 1 ml of StemPro Accutase reagent for 10 minutes.

• Click here to review the Dissociation of NSCs and Neurospheres with StemPro Accutase protocol