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A low shear stress modular bioreactor for connected cell culture under high flow rates
Author(s) -
Mazzei D.,
Guzzardi M.A.,
Giusti S.,
Ahluwalia A.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.22671
Subject(s) - bioreactor , modular design , shear stress , shear (geology) , materials science , volumetric flow rate , flow (mathematics) , chemistry , computer science , composite material , mechanics , physics , organic chemistry , operating system
A generic “system on a plate” modular multicompartmental bioreactor array which enables microwell protocols to be transferred directly to the bioreactor modules, without redesign of cell culture experiments or protocols is described. The modular bioreactors are simple to assemble and use and can be easily compared with standard controls since cell numbers and medium volumes are quite similar. Starting from fluid dynamic and mass transport considerations, a modular bioreactor chamber was first modeled and then fabricated using “milli‐molding,” a technique adapted from soft lithography. After confirming that the shear stress was extremely low in the system in the range of useful flow rates, the bioreactor chambers were tested using hepatocytes. The results show that the bioreactor chambers can increase or maintain cell viability and function when the flow rates are below 500 µL/min, corresponding to wall shear stresses of 10 −5 Pa or less at the cell culture surface. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010; 106: 127–137. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.