Abeille F, Mittler F, Obeid P, Huet M, Kermarrec F, Dolega ME, Navarro F, Pouteau P, Icard B, Gidrol X, Agache V, Picollet-D'hahan N. Continuous microcarrier-based cell culture in a benchtop microfluidic bioreactor.
Lab Chip 2014;
14:3510-8. [PMID:
25012393 DOI:
10.1039/c4lc00570h]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic bioreactors are expected to impact cell therapy and biopharmaceutical production due to their ability to control cellular microenvironments. This work presents a novel approach for continuous cell culture in a microfluidic system. Microcarriers (i.e., microbeads) are used as growth support for anchorage-dependent mammalian cells. This approach eases the manipulation of cells within the system and enables harmless extraction of cells. Moreover, the microbioreactor uses a perfusion function based on the biocompatible integration of a porous membrane to continuously feed the cells. The perfusion rate is optimized through simulations to provide a stable biochemical environment. Thermal management is also addressed to ensure a homogeneous bioreactor temperature. Eventually, incubator-free cell cultures of Drosophila S2 and PC3 cells are achieved over the course of a week using this bioreactor. In future applications, a more efficient alternative to harvesting cells from microcarriers is also anticipated as suggested by our positive results from the microcarrier digestion experiments.
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