Hydrodynamic investigation of a novel shear-generating device for the measurement of anchorage-dependent cell adhesion intensity.

Abstract

Proliferation of anchorage-dependent cells occurs after adhesion to a suitable surface. Thus, quantitative information about the force of cells adhesion to microcarriers at early culture phases is vital for scaling up such system. In this work, a newly designed shear-generating device was proposed, based on a previously proposed contraction flow device designed for suspended cells. A design equation for the new device was also proposed to correlate the generated energy dissipation rate (EDR) with the cross-sectional area and flow rate. Microscopic-particle image velocimetry was measured to validate the simulation results, and good agreement was achieved. The newly designed device was then used to measure the adhesion force of MDCK and PK cells, and the results showed that the critical EDR was 3000W/m3 for MDCK and 5000W/m3 for PK cells. This quantitative information is of great value for better understanding shearing effects during the scaling up of anchorage-dependent cell cultures.