Novel Gas Delivery, Distribution, And Scalability Strategies For Meeting Increased Oxygen Demand In Intensified Bioreactor Processes

By Marisa Maher, Amy Wood, Sualyneth Galarza, Jonathan Cain, Amy Mei, Vivian Gasca, Samantha Whitney, Diana Perez

Intensified bioprocessing arises from an increased need for high-quality drug supply while lowering facility footprints and production costs. Upstream processes are counting on developing these intensified solutions within single-use bioreactors to realize greater facility flexibility and operational cost advantages associated with single-use technologies. A key challenge faced when targeting higher cell densities and yield within an intensified bioreactor process is meeting the increased oxygen demand in the system while maintaining scalable and reliable performance (from 50 L to 2000 L). It is critical to deliver appropriate mass transfer while simultaneously managing cell shear and foaming to achieve successful dissolved oxygen control and cell growth. Our aim was to create scalable, single-use sparger and impeller designs that offer maximum performance capable of supporting high viable cell densities while cognizant of cell shear sensitivities.