SANPLATEC Adopts Mitsubishi Chemical’s Zelas™ TPS for Cell Culture Tubes
April 23, 2026
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Manabu Chikumoto; “Mitsubishi Chemical”) hereby announces that its thermoplastic elastomers designed for medical applications, Zelas™ TPS, have been adopted for the cell culture tubes of the iP-TEC® series, a cell culture and transportation solution for regenerative medicine developed by SANPLATEC CORPORATION (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture; President: Satoshi Kato; “SANPLATEC”).
These products were exhibited at SANPLATEC’s booth at the “The 25th Congress of the Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine,” held at Kobe International Conference Center and Kobe International Exhibition Hall on Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20, 2026.
Mitsubishi Chemical has developed advanced formulation and compounding technologies for the medical-grade compound resin ZELAS™ over many years. ZELAS™ TPS is thermoplastic styrenic elastomer that exhibits excellent rubber elasticity and has a proven track record of use in tubes for medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging. In the field of regenerative medicine, high-quality cell culture performance is required for iPS cells and mesenchymal stem cells; ZELAS™ TPS demonstrates superior iPS cell proliferation properties compared with polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In addition to its excellent culture performance, ZELAS™ TPS was evaluated favorably for its excellent culture performance, as well as its compatibility with autoclave sterilization and gamma irradiation sterilization (25 kGy), and its heat-sealability—features that are essential for constructing closed-loop cell culture systems*, for which demand is growing, leading to its selection for this application.
* A system that performs cell culture using modules designed to allow the exchange of culture medium through tubes connected to the container, without opening the fully sealed container
SANPLATEC is leading the industry in the field of containers and devices for cell culture and live transport by providing integrated solutions from cell culture to transportation. In this case, ZELAS™ TPS will be used as a material to make thermoplastic elastomer tubes for cell cultures, and will be marketed under iP-TEC® brand.
Under the management vision of KAITEKI Vision 35, Mitsubishi Chemical Group has identified “Technology and equipment for new therapeutics” as one of the business focus areas. Going forward, Mitsubishi Chemical will continue to advance further the technological development of thermoplastic elastomer, while accelerating the expansion of Zelas™ in the field of regenerative medicine and strengthening its contributions to the medical and life sciences sectors.
References:
■ Zelas™ TPS Product Page
https://www.m-chemical.co.jp/en/products/departments/mcc/mcpp/product/1201018_7757.html
■ Explanatory Article on This Release
Selection Guide for Cell Culture Tubes—Key Considerations for Material Selection Supporting the Future of Regenerative Medicine
https://ppd-japan.mcgc.com/blog/cell-culture-tube (Japanese Only)
■ Contact Information for Product Inquiries
https://www.m-chemical.co.jp/en/contact/products/index.php?code=1201018
■ SANPLATEC iP-TEC® Web Column (March 27, 2026)
https://iptec.sanplatec.co.jp/news/tpe-tubing-cell-culture/ (Japanese Only)
■ SANPLATEC iP-TEC® Brand Website
https://global.sanplatec.co.jp/ip-tec/
These products were exhibited at SANPLATEC’s booth at the “The 25th Congress of the Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine,” held at Kobe International Conference Center and Kobe International Exhibition Hall on Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20, 2026.
Mitsubishi Chemical has developed advanced formulation and compounding technologies for the medical-grade compound resin ZELAS™ over many years. ZELAS™ TPS is thermoplastic styrenic elastomer that exhibits excellent rubber elasticity and has a proven track record of use in tubes for medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging. In the field of regenerative medicine, high-quality cell culture performance is required for iPS cells and mesenchymal stem cells; ZELAS™ TPS demonstrates superior iPS cell proliferation properties compared with polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In addition to its excellent culture performance, ZELAS™ TPS was evaluated favorably for its excellent culture performance, as well as its compatibility with autoclave sterilization and gamma irradiation sterilization (25 kGy), and its heat-sealability—features that are essential for constructing closed-loop cell culture systems*, for which demand is growing, leading to its selection for this application.
* A system that performs cell culture using modules designed to allow the exchange of culture medium through tubes connected to the container, without opening the fully sealed container
SANPLATEC is leading the industry in the field of containers and devices for cell culture and live transport by providing integrated solutions from cell culture to transportation. In this case, ZELAS™ TPS will be used as a material to make thermoplastic elastomer tubes for cell cultures, and will be marketed under iP-TEC® brand.
Under the management vision of KAITEKI Vision 35, Mitsubishi Chemical Group has identified “Technology and equipment for new therapeutics” as one of the business focus areas. Going forward, Mitsubishi Chemical will continue to advance further the technological development of thermoplastic elastomer, while accelerating the expansion of Zelas™ in the field of regenerative medicine and strengthening its contributions to the medical and life sciences sectors.
References:
■ Zelas™ TPS Product Page
https://www.m-chemical.co.jp/en/products/departments/mcc/mcpp/product/1201018_7757.html
■ Explanatory Article on This Release
Selection Guide for Cell Culture Tubes—Key Considerations for Material Selection Supporting the Future of Regenerative Medicine
https://ppd-japan.mcgc.com/blog/cell-culture-tube (Japanese Only)
■ Contact Information for Product Inquiries
https://www.m-chemical.co.jp/en/contact/products/index.php?code=1201018
■ SANPLATEC iP-TEC® Web Column (March 27, 2026)
https://iptec.sanplatec.co.jp/news/tpe-tubing-cell-culture/ (Japanese Only)
■ SANPLATEC iP-TEC® Brand Website
https://global.sanplatec.co.jp/ip-tec/
