Fixed-bed reactors as a tool for artificial organs

In this study the immortalised mouse hepatocyte line mHep-R1 was used for cultivation. The cells were first grown in culture flasks and in a small-scale fixed-bed system in order to determine growth characteristics and a suitable carrier type. The cell line was then cultivated in a 40 ml fixed-bed reactor over a period of 75 days at a perfusion rate of 6.25 ml medium per mi fixed-bed and day. A cell density of approx. 8.5.10(7) cells per ml carrier was reached at the end of the experiment proving that a stable cultivation was possible over a long period of time with constant consumption and production rates.