Serum-Free Culture Of Vero Cells In The Corning® CellCube® System

By Ann Rossi Bilodeau and Ann M. Ferri

This application note discusses the use of serum-free culture for Vero cells, a cell line commonly used for viral vector and vaccine production. The study aims to establish a protocol for culturing Vero cells in serum-free medium using the Corning CellCube System, a compact and scalable method for mass culture using the CellCube closed system and BioBLU® 3c single-use bioreactor to control the medium conditioning. The seeding process was adjusted to accommodate faster cell attachment in serum-free medium, and the cells grew well in the CellCube system, reaching high confluence by Day 7. The study suggests that glucose and lactate concentrations in the spent medium can be used to determine the optimal time for harvesting Vero cells and demonstrates the potential of the CellCube system for Vero cell expansion in serum-free medium.

Explore a framework for optimizing the process and developing protocols for expanding Vero cells in serum-free medium at a small scale, which can be scaled up for production in larger CellCube systems. The conclusions of the study include the differences in Vero cell attachment kinetics in serum-containing and serum-free medium, the favorable conditions for Vero cell expansion, the need to optimize the system medium volume, and the ability of the CellCube system to support high-density Vero cell culture in serum-free medium.