Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The LifeReactor was a peristaltic pump-driven bubble column biore-
actor, where mass and heat transfer are achieved by direct sparg-
ing of a conical-shaped disposable culture bag (1 L to 5 L). It was
mainly used for the growth of plant origin organ cultures.
The two-compartment dialysis membrane bioreactors have a semi-
permeable membrane that separates the cells from the bulk of
the medium and again permits continuous diffusion of nutrients
into the cell compartment with simultaneous removal of waste
products. The two models, the MiniPerm (Greiner Bio One) and
the T-flask-based CELLine (INTEGRA Biosciences, Sartorius-
Stedim), must be kept in a CO
2
incubator, and achieve high cell
density allowing antibody production.
Third Period—Next Twenty Years (1990s to current)
: Wave-mixed
reactors, stirred 3D reactors, orbitally shaken reactors; used in clinical
sample production, small-scale commercial manufacturing, and com-
prehensive disposable systems. While the use of a shaken bag goes
back to the 1960s, it was not until around 1996 when Vijay Singh dis-
closed his invention of the Wave Bioreactor (Figure 5.1) and marketed
them in 1998 that the industry woke up to a new reality in biological
drug manufacturing. While the original Wave Bioreactors served the
purpose well, soon it was realized that many of the shortcomings,
such as inability to grow bacteria or scale up to larger volumes, were
overcome recently (2010) by the finding of MayaBioReactors (
www.
mayabio.com
)
that all types of cells can be grown in 2D bags.
FIGURE 5.1
Wave bioreactor.
