Microcarrier Bead Separation And Cell Harvesting Using Small-Scale Systems

Current techniques used to separate adherent mammalian cells from microcarrier beads include: sedimentation using conical or inclined settlers, centrifugation, acoustic resonance, spin filtration, and microfiltration. These techniques often use sophisticated equipment, requiring significant capital expenditure as well as routine maintenance, and cleaning and sterilization in between use. Until now, single-use options were restricted to disposable spin filters and hollow-fiber microfiltration systems. 

This app note is about Microcarrier bead separation and cell harvesting using Harvestainer small-scale systems. The goal: To demonstrate its effectiveness, the 3 L and 12 L Harvestainer systems were used to collect the cells and isolate the microcarrier beads in a model system that employed a 250 L Thermo Scientific HyPerforma Single-Use Bioreactor (S.U.B.) and an anchorage-dependent cell line grown on dextran-based microcarrier beads.