Enhanced Single-Use Bioreactor Performance For Scalable Vero Cell Culture On Microcarriers In Serum-Free Medium

By Tony Hsiao, Paula Decaria, and Nephi Jones, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Adherent cell cultures, such as those with Vero cells, are often more challenging than their suspension-based counterparts. While microcarriers greatly increase the surface area available for adherent cells and offer flexibility for expansion into bioreactors, scale-up methods require optimization of agitation and other operating parameters. Likewise, parameter selection and optimization surrounding the detachment and reattachment of cells through the scale-up process is vital for success. This application note presents how Thermo Scientific™ HyPerforma™ SingleUse Bioreactors (S.U.B.s) can be enhanced for scaled-up growth of adherent cells on GE Healthcare Cytodex™ 1 microcarriers in serum-free medium, in culture volumes of 50 L, 250 L, and 500 L. The methods for the deployed bead-to-bead transfer of the cells at each scaling step and in subsequent cultures are also outlined. The enhanced S.U.B. was optimized for adherent cell growth with several modifications. The S.U.B. BioProcess Container (BPC) was also modified to allow for easy media exchanges in the vessel.