Mammalian cell culture: technology and physiology.

Abstract

During the last decade phenomenal advances have taken place in large-scale mammalian cell culture both for microcarriers and suspension methods. The cost of serum and product quality require that such systems be examined in terms of both their physical and chemical parameters. Data are presented as to the method used to more than double the final harvest cell density of 100-liter batch culture reactors by simple temperature measurements and 12-liter reactors by increasing the oxygen potential of the liquid. The results are interpreted in terms of physical transport phenomena of momentum, heat and mass via the theoretical relationships of Navier -Stokes, Fourier and Fick respectively. In addition, data are presented of 3-, 12-, and 100 liter reactors that the spent cell growth media were analyzed for ten different chemistries. The Monod cell growth curve was used to interpret the results. The cost savings and product quality improvements can be enormous by approaching both the technology and physiology of mammalian cell culture from the vantage points of chemistry, thermodynamics and transport phenomena.