Radial Flow Type Bioreactor for Bioartificial Liver Assist System Using PTFE Non‐Woven Fabric Coated with Poly‐amino Acid Urethane Copolymer

Abstract

AbstractRecently, various types of hybrid bioartificial liver using the porcine hepatocytes have been widely studied but their clinical usage is limited by various difficulties. One of the most efficient bioreactor is the radial flow system equipped with silicon oxygenator. Here, our bioreactor system provides the oxygenator and the radial flow of medium that supplies the nutrient efficiently. The adhesion and growth of the cultured hepatocytes are greatly improved by using polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) non‐woven fabrics coated with poly‐amino acid urethane copolymer (PAU). Its functional activities were established after being kept for one week at the high value in this bioreactor system. These results indicate that, PTFE non‐woven fabric and radial flow technique is proven to be the best bioreactor for a hybrid artificial liver support system (HALS).