Optical examination of cell culture in bioreactors creating simulated in vivo conditions

Cell culture using bioreactors is a vital part of Cellular and Tissue Engineering. Bioreactor design continues to advance, in order to allow control over physical and chemical parameters as well as continuous assessment of cell behaviour, gene expression, and tissue formation and growth. Measurement or monitoring of many such parameters or features can be achieved with optical techniques. The current aim of cell culture is to re-create in vivo conditions and in order to achieve this control of the chemical environment is required and some cell types must be subjected to shear stress and/or axial loads. For creating tissue engineered cartilage chondrocytes are cultured within a biodegradable scaffold. Influences of cyclic loading and of oxygen supply on phenotype are studied. Vascular endothelial cells are subjected to fluid shear stress and the influence on prostacyclin production is measured. Optical interrogation of culture fluid, attached cells, cells in suspension and tissue constructs is carried out using a combination of spectrophotometry, analysis of scattering, and chemical sensing. Insertion of sensing probes within the culture vessel presents problems of protein adsorption to sensing surfaces. Approaches based on cell membrane mimicry are being evaluated for their potential to overcome this problem. Sensors based on immobilised fluorophores and chromaphores within either wall-mounted membranes or within optical fibres are assessed. Culture fluid turbidity is evaluated with scattering determinations and circulating glucose concentration is measured spectrophotometrically. Formed tissue is interrogated with NIR radiation and in the future will include the use of OCT.