Optimization and Control of a Perfusion Bioreactor System in Tissue Engineering

Abstract

This work focuses on developing control strategies for a continuous perfusion bioreactor which are capable of increasing the cell density while minimizing the consumption of nutrients. This will set the basis for advanced control strategies which will advance manufacturing for a cell growth process. The optimal oxygen and glucose concentrations for perfusion bioreactors that will reduce the time required to reach maximum cell density are analyzed. Moreover, the optimum profile for the oxygen and glucose concentration is determined and used as a set-point for the developed control loops. The mathematical model that will be used in this work is implemented using Computational Fluid Dynamics and it presents the spatio-temporal evolution of glucose, oxygen concentration and cell density in a 3D polymeric scaffold. To close the loop, the last step is to validate the performances of the developed controllers on the high-fidelity CFD model. Two different scenarios are designed, implemented and tested. The simulations show satisfactory behavior and good performances.