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Real‐Time compensation of the inner filter effect in high‐density bioluminescent cultures
Author(s) -
Konstantinov Konstantin B.,
Dhurjati Prasad,
Van Dyk Tina,
Majarian William,
Larossa Robert
Publication year - 1993
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.260421009
Subject(s) - bioluminescence , bioprocess , biological system , filter (signal processing) , signal (programming language) , biophysics , biology , chemistry , biochemical engineering , computer science , biochemistry , engineering , paleontology , computer vision , programming language
Bioluminescence has recently become a popular research tool in several fields, including medicine, pharmacology, biochemistry, bioprocessing, and environmental engineering. Beginning with purely qualitative goals, scientists are now targeting more demanding applications where accurate, quantitative interpretation of bioluminescence is necessary. Using the recent advances in fiber‐optic technology, bioluminescence is easily monitored in vivo and in real time. However, the convenience of this measurement is often concealing an unsuspected problem: the bioluminescence signal might be corrupted by a large error caused by the extinction of light by biological cells. Since bioluminescent cultures not only emit light but also absorb and scatter it, the measured signal is related in a complex, nonlinear, and cell‐concentration‐dependent manner to the “true” bioluminescence. This light extinction effect, known as the “inner filter effect,” is significant in high‐density cultures. Adequate interpretation of the bioluminescence signal can be difficult without its correction. Here, we propose a real‐time algorithm for elimination of the inner filter effect in a bioreactor. The algorithm yields the bioluminescence which would be measured if the glowing culture was completely transparent. This technique has been successfully applied to batch and continuous cultivation of recombinant bioluminescent Escherichia coli . © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.