Perfusion cell culture in disposable bioreactors

A novel disposable bioreactor design is described that incorporates a floating filter for the removal of cell-free perfusate. This design eliminates the need for traditional pumparound flow loops and external cell separators. Experiments with a hybridoma cell line producing a monoclonal antibody show that such a device can support very high cell densities of over 3 x 10(7) cells/ml and produce up to 73 mg/day of product. This is 6 fold higher productivity than batch culture. The bioreactor was operated continuously for 25 days without any evidence of clogging. Applications include bioprocessing and human cell therapy.