Abstract: | This report reviews recent progress in micro carrier technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This progress includes new understanding of the nutritional needs of high-cell density micro carrier cultures, the demonstration of cell growth on microcarriers in a hormone-supplemented, serum-free medium, and the continuous cell propagation of epithelial cell types in microcarrier culture by medium modification that permits efficient bead-to bead transfer. Also, a technique for obtaining large quantities of mitotic cells by selective detachment from microcarriers is reported. Finally, recent progress in interferon production from human foreskin fibroblasts grown on microcarriers is outlined: Our improvements in the interferon “super induction” process have increased the interferon yield per cell fivefold to tenfold. |