动物细胞培养用生物反应器及相关技术

动物细胞大量培养是生产生物制品的重要途径,它用到的关键设备是生物反应器。根据培养细胞、培养载体、培养液混合方式的不同,生物反应器主要有搅拌式、气升式、中空纤维式、回转式等,其中搅拌式规模最大。回转式是NASA于20世纪90年代中期开发的一种新型生物反应器,被誉为空间生物反应器,可用于组织工程研究。与生物反应器配套的技术主要有灌注、微载体、多孔微球、转入抗凋亡基因等,可以有效地提高细胞密度,增加生物制品产量,提高质量。今后生物反应器研制主要朝两个方向发展:一是,以高密度培养动物细胞生产蛋白质药物为目的,二是以三维培养动物细胞(主要是人类细胞)再生组织或器官为目的。     

用多孔微载体大规模培养rCHO细胞

多孔微载体是近年来发展起来的一种用于大规模高密度培养动物细胞的支持物,具有许多优点,如：容易固定细胞,适合于贴壁细胞和悬浮细胞的固定化连续灌流培养;细胞生长在载体内部,增加了细胞固定化的稳定性,可降低血清用量,适合长期培养;能保护细胞免受机械损伤,增加搅拌强度和通气量,强化反应器的传质;比表面积大,为细胞提供了充分的生长空间;细胞固定化过程简单无害,细胞能从长满细胞的微载体中自动转移到未长细胞的新载体中生长,接种方便,操作简单。特别适合于搅拌式、气升式、周定床和流化床等生物反应器的大规模培养〔1,2。尿激酶原(pro-UK)是一种重要的溶栓药物．与一般的生物医药制品相比,pro-UK给药量较大(约20mg／人～80mg／人),小规模生产不能满足市场需求。本文报道利用20L搅拌式反应器培养分泌pro-UK的重组CHO细胞的工艺条件,取得了初步结果。     

VerO细胞在气升式反应器中的微载体培养

哺乳动物细胞的大规模培养是生产许多医学上重要生物制品的一种主要方法之－⑴。很多有工业价值的动物细胞都是贴壁细胞,必须附着在一定的表面上才能生长,微载体培养是一种有效的体系⑵。用于微载体培养的反应器多为搅拌式反应器,近年来,流化床式反应器越来越引起生化工程学家的重视。有希望用于大规模动物细胞培养的主要是液升和气升式。液升式反应器的优点是培养液可以间接氧饱和,气泡和细胞不直接接触。在气升式流态反应器中,气泡与细胞直接接触,其优点是操作方便,设备筒单。本文报道通过气升流态化反应器实现高密度贴壁细胞培养工艺条件的研究。     

机械搅拌式动物细胞反应器不同桨型组合的CFD数值模拟与优化

生物反应器已成为哺乳动物细胞生产治疗性抗体药物和疫苗的核心。文中采用CFD数值模拟方法对目前常用的机械搅拌式生物反应器在不同的搅拌形式下的流场进行了分析,获得了5种搅拌桨型组合条件下的速率矢量、持气率、含气率和剪切力分布的特征。通过构建的重组CHO细胞在不同搅拌形式条件下的流加分批培养发现,细胞密度和抗体表达水平与反应器内的最大剪切率直接相关,在FBMI3搅拌形式下细胞密度和抗体表达水平均最高。结果表明该CHO细胞在悬浮培养时对剪切环境比较敏感,且最大剪切力是工业规模放大的关键因素。     

微载体高密度培养Vero细胞的研究

微载体是动物细胞高密度培养的有效手段。首先在硅化的方瓶中对Cytodex 1、Cy-todex 3、Biosilon、Bellco Glass Microcarrier、CT-1、CT-3、MC-1、CT-28种国产和进口微载体进行了比较和筛选。确定以Biosilon作为Vero细胞高密度培养的首选微载体。用500mlWheaton搅拌瓶探索影响Vero细胞高密度培养的条件,表明50～60mg/ml的微载体浓度、1～2×10⁶/ml的细胞接种密度、适当的通气(95％O_2+5％CO₂)对该细胞的高密度培养具有重要意义。在200ml培养体积的Wheaton搅拌瓶中,微载体浓度为50～60mg/ml,细胞接种密度为9.24×10⁵/ml,搅拌速度为65～85r/min,经25d培养,Vero细胞密度可达2.34×10⁷/ml,表明50～60mg/ml的微载体浓度对培养细胞没有毒性。接着在1.5L CelliGen生物反应器中进行培养,细胞接种密度为4.98×10⁵/ml,培养体积为1.2L,日灌流量从0.20L逐渐加大到3.65L,经22d连接灌流培养,最终细胞密度可达2.05×10⁷/ml。     

植物细胞生物反应器的新成就

一、杂合反应器 叶片搅拌式反应器已广泛用于发酵和动物细胞反应器,因为它可以产生较高的培养基组分和气体的传质效率。然而,因为植物细胞对叶片搅拌的剪切力很敏感,植物细胞悬浮培养通常用气升式反应器来混合和通气,但气升式系统往往不能有效混合高密度细胞培养所要求的适宜的植物代谢物生产。 Rutgers大学的D.I.Kim和他的同事们发明了一种5升的杂合式反应器,采用气升式和搅拌式相结合,用于高密度植物细胞的培养。     

VERO细胞生物反应器放大培养初探

目的:研究用生物反应器放大进行Vero细胞微载体培养,实现生物反应器之间Veto细胞放大培养.方法:5L微载体生物反应器以10g/L微载体浓度培养Vero细胞,96h时经漂洗、消化、接种于30L微载体生物反应器,实现放大后的30L微载体生物反应器细胞怏速增殖,期间对不同时期的微载体细胞进行细胞计数、细胞代谢分析和形态观察.结果:5L生物反应器细胞经过96h灌注培养,平均细胞密度达到7.81×10~6cells/mL.5L微载体细胞放大到30L微载体生物反应器,平均细胞收获率为32.3%;放大到30L生物反应器后经过144h培养,细胞密度达到9.19×10~6cells/mL;放大后的细胞代谢途径依然以葡萄糖氧化代谢乳酸为主.结论:生物反应器由5L到30L进行Veto细胞放大培养是可行的.     

植物细胞培养生物反应器的种类特点及展望

生物反应器技术应用于植物细胞培养既可以打破环境条件的限制,又有助于生产过程的人为调控,为植物细胞大规模培养或工厂化直接生产植物细胞有用代谢产物创造了条件,是当前植物细胞培养工作的研究热点。在介绍植物细胞培养特点的基础上,对适用于植物细胞培养的各类生物反应器(搅拌式生物反应器、非搅拌式生物反应器、用于植物细胞固定化培养的生物反应器、光生物反应器以及一次性培养生物反应器)的原理、优缺点等进行比较分析,最后提出了植物细胞培养生物反应器研究的发展方向,以期为植物细胞培养生物反应器的选择及改良提供参考。     

WAVETM反应器和搅拌瓶中微载体球转球放大培养的比较

目的:哺乳动物细胞目前已广泛用于生物工程药物如单抗和疫苗的生产.而用于贴壁细胞规模化培养的微载体,也应时应需得以开发并应用于生物制药.贴壁细胞微载体培养在搅拌罐和WAVETM反应器中都能进行.而如要进行进一步的放大培养,球转球工艺不可或缺.为了发展球转球这一新的放大技术,以及考量WAVETM反应器这种新型大规模培养设备的应用性,大量的细胞培养和球转球实验在WAVETM反应器和搅拌瓶中进行.收集到的数据得以分析比较.方法:将Vero细胞分别接入WAVETM反应器和搅拌瓶中用微载体Cytodex 1进行培养.适当补充营养并控制温度、pH等培养条件使细胞增殖.长满微载体的细胞用清洗、消化等球转球工艺的一系列步骤而分离,并放大接种到新的培养体系.球转球工艺的有效性通过记录并统计分析细胞消化分离的回收率,以及细胞重新接种生长的存活力来评估.结果:统计学分析比较WAVETM反应器和搅拌瓶中得到的细胞分离回收率分别是67.56％和39.39％,数理统计P值小于0.0003;细胞重新接种存活率分别是95.17％和78.45％,P值等于0.0107.结论:在WAVETM反应器中进行的球转球放大工艺,其总体表现和有效性远高于在搅拌瓶中得到的结果.在WAVETM反应器中培养的Vero细胞有很好的细胞状态,作为种子链和生产用罐相比搅拌型反应罐均有很大的优越性.     

自制多孔微球高密度培养Vero细胞的初步研究

多孔微球是动物细胞高密度培养的有效手段,它是1985年由Verax公司开创的,最初用于流化床生物反应器生产单克隆抗体,后来又出现了Percell和Siran系统系列多孔微球,并且使用的反应器种类和生产的产品都在增加,于是便成为一种新型的细胞培养手段而日益受到人们的重视。为此,我们在利用微载体进行Vero细胞高密度培养的同时,又对多孔微球的制备和培养工艺作了初步探索。     

Perfusion culture of hybridoma cells for hyperproduction of IgG(2a) monoclonal antibody in a wave bioreactor-perfusion culture system

A novel wave bioreactor-perfusion culture system was developed for highly efficient production of monoclonal antibody IgG2a (mAb) by hybridoma cells. The system consists of a wave bioreactor, a floating membrane cell-retention filter, and a weight-based perfusion controller. A polyethylene membrane filter with a pore size of 7 microm was floating on the surface of the culture broth for cell retention, eliminating the need for traditional pump around flow loops and external cell separators. A weight-based perfusion controller was designed to balance the medium renewal rate and the harvest rate during perfusion culture. BD Cell mAb Medium (BD Biosciences, CA) was identified to be the optimal basal medium for mAb production during batch culture. A control strategy for perfusion rate (volume of fresh medium/working volume of reactor/day, vvd) was identified as a key factor affecting cell growth and mAb accumulation during perfusion culture, and the optimal control strategy was increasing perfusion rate by 0.15 vvd per day. Average specific mAb production rate was linearly corrected with increasing perfusion rate within the range of investigation. The maximum viable cell density reached 22.3 x 105 and 200.5 x 105 cells/mL in the batch and perfusion culture, respectively, while the corresponding maximum mAb concentration reached 182.4 and 463.6 mg/L and the corresponding maximum total mAb amount was 182.4 and 1406.5 mg, respectively. Not only the yield of viable cell per liter of medium (32.9 x 105 cells/mL per liter medium) and the mAb yield per liter of medium (230.6 mg/L medium) but also the mAb volumetric productivity (33.1 mg/L.day) in perfusion culture were much higher than those (i.e., 22.3 x 105 cells/mL per liter medium, 182.4 mg/L medium, and 20.3 mg/L.day) in batch culture. Relatively fast cell growth and the perfusion culture approach warrant that high biomass and mAb productivity may be obtained in such a novel perfusion culture system (1 L working volume), which offers an alternative approach for producing gram quantity of proteins from industrial cell lines in a liter-size cell culture. The fundamental information obtained in this study may be useful for perfusion culture of hybridoma cells on a large scale.     

Application of "oxygen uptake rate-amino acids" associated mode in controlled-fed perfusion culture

Controlled-fed perfusion, a new operation mode, which combines the advantages of fed-batch and perfusion, has been reported to enhance monoclonal antibody productivity. The aim of the present study was to further enrich this mode by an "oxygen uptake rate-amino acids (OUR-AA)" strategy in which the feeding of amino acids was controlled according to the variation of OUR during perfusion. And the effects of this strategy on bioreactor productivity and product quality were evaluated. Experimental results indicated that by using this "OUR-AA" approach in controlled-fed perfusion mode a high viable cell density of more than 1.9 x 10(7)cells/ml was achieved and the productivity of mAb reached 325 mg/l/d, which was significantly increased by nearly twofold over those of the perfusion and fed-batch process. The residual concentrations of selected amino acids were controlled at a relative steady level by OUR during the culture. The immunoreactivity and the purity of the antibody were well preserved as the culture process was evolving from flask to the controlled-fed perfusion mode. The primary application of "OUR-AA" approach in controlled-fed perfusion mode may present a novel control strategy to enhance the culture performance and to display the potential of this approach in automatic control field.     

Recombinant antibody production by perfusion cultures of rCHO cells in a depth filter perfusion system

Recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells, producing recombinant antibody against the human platelet, were cultivated in a depth filter perfusion system (DFPS). When perfusion cultures with working volume of 1 L were operated at perfusion rates of 5/d and 6/d, volumetric antibody productivities reached values 28 and 34 times higher than that of batch suspension culture in Erlenmeyer flasks and 43 and 53 times higher than that of batch culture in a controlled stirred tank reactor, respectively. Perfusion cultures in the DFPS showed stable antibody production over the whole culture period of up to 20 days. In the DFPS, inoculated cells in suspension were entrapped in a few hours within the depth filter matrix by medium circulation and retained there until the void space of the filter matrix was saturated by the cultured cells. After cells in the depth filter matrix reached saturation, overgrown viable cells at a perfusion rate of 5/d or 6/d were continuously collected into waste medium at a density of 2-4 x 10(5) cells/mL, which resulted in stable operation at high perfusion rates, maintaining values of process parameters such as glucose/lactate concentration, pH, and dissolved oxygen concentration. Because the DFPS overcomes most drawbacks observed with conventional perfusion systems, it is preferable to be used as a key culture system to produce monoclonal antibody stably for a long culture period.     

High viable cell concentration fed-batch cultures of hybridoma cells through on-line nutrient feeding

A hybridoma cell line was cultivated in fed-batch cultures using a low-protein, serum-free medium. On-line oxygen uptake rate (OUR) measurement was used to adjust the nutrient feeding rate based on glucose consumption, which was estimated on-line using the stoichiometric relations between glucose and oxygen consumption. Through on-line control of the nutrient feeding rate, not only sufficients were supplied for cell growth and antibody production, but also the concentrations of glucose and other important nutrients such as amino acids were maintained at low levels during the cell growth phase. During the cultivation, cell metabolism changed from high lactate production and low oxygen consumption to low lactate production and high oxygen consumption. As a result the accumulation of lactate was reduced and the growth phase was extended. In comparison with the batch cultures, in which cells reached a concentration of approximately 2 x 10(6) cells/mL, a very high concentration of 1.36 x 10(7) cells/mL with a high cell viability (>90%) was achieved in the fed-batch culture. By considering the consumption of glucose and amino acids, as well as the production of cell mass, metabolites, and antibodies, a well-closed material balance was established. Our results demonstrate the value of coupling on-line OUR measurement and the stoichiometric realations for dynamic nutrient feeding in high cell concentration fed batch cultures. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Production of monoclonal antibody using free-suspended and immobilized hybridoma cells: Effect of serum

The effect of serum on cell growth and monoclonal antibody (MAb) productivity was studied in a repeated fedbatch mode using both free-suspended and immobilized S3H5/gamma2bA2 hybridoma cells. In the suspension culture, serum influenced the cell growth rate but not the specific MAb productivity. The average specific growth rate of the suspension culture in medium containing 10% serum was approximately 0.99 +/- 0.12 day(-1) (+/-standard deviation), while that in medium containing 1% serum was approximately 0.73 +/- 0.12 day(-1). The specific MAb productivity was almost constant at 3.69 +/- 0.57 mug/10(6) cells/day irrespective of serum concentration reached a maximum at ca. 1.8 x 10(6) cells/mL of medium in 10% serum medium, and the cell concentration was gradually reduced to 1%. The specific MAb productivity of the immobilized cells was more than three times higher than that of the free-suspended cells. The amount of serum in the medium did not influence the specific MAb production rate of the immobilized cells. The maintenance of high cell concentration and the enhanced specific MAb productivity of the immobilized cell culture resulted in a higher volumetric MAb productivity. In addition, MAb yield in the immobilized cell culture with medium containing 1% serum was 2.2 mg/mL of serum, which was approximately three times higher than that in the suspension culture.     

Application of a cell-once-through perfusion strategy for production of recombinant antibody from rCHO cells in a Centritech Lab II centrifuge system

Based upon the results of scale-down intermittent perfusion processes, a cell-once-through (COT) perfusion concept was applied to a dual bioreactor system coupled to a Centritech Lab II centrifuge for culture of recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (rCHO) cells for monoclonal antibody production. In this new culture mode, i.e., the COT perfusion process, total spent medium was transferred to the centrifuge and a fixed percentage was removed. Approximately 99% of the viable cells are transferred to another bioreactor filled with fresh medium by single operation of the Centritech Lab II centrifuge system for about 30 min. Accordingly, a significant reduction of the cell-passage frequency to the centrifuge led to minimization of cell damage caused by mechanical shear stress, oxygen limitation, nutrient limitation, and low temperature outside the bioreactor. The effects of culture temperature shift and fortified medium on cell growth and recombinant antibody production in the COT perfusion process were investigated. Although the suppressive effects of low culture temperature on cell growth led to a loss of stability in a long-term COT perfusion culture system, the average antibody concentration at 33 degrees C was 157.8 mg/L, approximately 2.4-fold higher than that at 37 degrees C. By the use of a fortified medium at 37 degrees C, rCHO cells were maintained at high density above 1.2 x 10(7) cells/mL, and antibody was produced continuously in a range of 260-280 mg/L in a stable long-term COT perfusion culture. The proposed new culture mode, the COT perfusion approach, guarantees the recovery of rCHO cells damaged by lowered temperature or high lactate and ammonium concentration. It will be an attractive choice for minimization of cell damage and stable long-term antibody production with high cell density.     

Erythropoietin production from CHO cells grown by continuous culture in a fluidized-bed bioreactor.

A Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line that expresses human erythropoietin (huEPO) was in a 2-L Cytopilot fluidized-bed bioreactor with 400 mL macroporous Cytoline-1 microcarriers and a variable perfusion rate of serum-free and protein-free medium for 48 days. The cell density increased to a maximum of 23 x 10(6) cells/mL, beads on day 27. The EPO concentration increased to 600 U/mL during the early part of the culture period (on day 24) and increased further to 980 U/mL following the addition of a higher concentration of glucose and the addition of sodium butyrate. The EPO concentration was significantly higher (at least 2x than that in a controlled stirred-tank bioreactor, in a spinner flask, or in a stationary T-flask culture. The EPO accumulated to a total production of 28,000 kUnits over the whole culture period. The molecular characteristics of EPO with respect to size and pattern of glycosylation did not change with scale up. The pattern of utilization and production of 18 amino acids was similar in the Cytopilot culture to that in a stationary batch culture in a T-flask. The concentration of ammonia was maintained at a low level (< 2 mM) over the entire culture period. The specific rate of consumption of glucose, as well as the specific rates of production of lactate and ammonia, were constant throughout the culture period indicating a consistent metabolic behavior of the cells in the bioreactor. These results indicate the potential of the Cytopilot bioreactor culture system for the continuous production of a recombinant protein over several weeks.     

Two-stage depth filter perfusion culture for recombinant antibody production by recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cell

A rCHO cell line of DUKX origin 26*-320, producing recombinant antibody against the human platelet, was cultivated in a two-stage depth filter perfusion system (DFPS) for 20 days in order to attain high recombinant antibody concentration. The productivity of the first stage DFPS bioreactor reached 53 times that of the batch culture in a controlled stirred tank reactor and was showed 12.1 mg/L antibody concentration at a perfusion rate of 6.0 d⁻¹. Glucose concentration in the first DFPS was maintained at 1.5 g/L to avoid cell damage in the perfusion culture. A second stage DFPS system was attached to the first DFPS, which resulted in a low glucose concentration of 0.02 g/L and a high antibody concentration of 23.9 mg/L. The two-stage depth filter perfusion culture yielded 60% higher product concentration than the batch and 49-fold higher productivity of 69.3 mg/L/d in comparison with that (1.4 mg/L/d) in a batch system. Furthermore, antibody concentration of the second stage was 97% higher than that of the first stage, and the antibody productivities were comparable to that of the first stage. This two-stage DFPS system also showed potential for higher titer production of recombinant antibody and high volumetric productivity for long-term culture of bio-pharmaceutical substances.     

High cell density fed batch and perfusion processes for stable non-viral expression of secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) using insect cells: comparison to a batch Sf-9-BEV system

The development of insect cells expressing recombinant proteins in a stable continuous manner is an attractive alternative to the BEV system for recombinant protein production. High cell density fed batch and continuous perfusion processes can be designed to maximize the productivity of stably transformed cells. A cell line (Sf-9SEAP) expressing high levels of the reporter protein SEAP stably was obtained by lipid-mediated transfection of Sf-9 insect cells and further selection and screening. The expression of the Sf-9SEAP cells was compared with the BEVS system. It was observed that, the yield obtained in BEVS was similar to the batch Sf-9SEAP at 8 and 7 IU/mL, respectively. The productivity of this foreign gene product with the stable cells was enhanced by bioprocess intensification employing the fed-batch and perfusion modes of culture to increase the cell density in culture. The fed batch process yielded a maximum cell density of 28 x 10(6) cells/mL and 12 IU/mL of SEAP. Further improvements in the productivity could be made using the perfusion process, which demonstrated a stable production rate for extended periods of time. The process was maintained for 43 days, with a steady-state cell density of 17-20 x 10(6) cells/mL and 7 IU/mL SEAP. The total yield obtained in the perfusion process (394 IU) was approximately 22 and 8 times higher than that obtained in a batch (17.6 IU) and fed batch (46.1 IU) process, respectively.