Disposable bioreactors for inoculum production and protein expression

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Bioprocess Engineering
• Cell Culture Technology

Background:

• Disposable bioreactors are increasingly adopted for research, development, and commercial manufacturing, especially for animal cell-based processes.
• Wave-mixed bag bioreactors and stirred bioreactors are the predominant disposable systems.
• Wave-mixed systems are favored for inoculum production, while stirred systems are often preferred for protein expression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present detailed protocols for utilizing disposable bioreactors at the benchtop scale.
• To demonstrate inoculum production using a wave-mixed bioreactor (BIOSTAT CultiBag RM 20 L).
• To demonstrate recombinant protein production using a stirred bioreactor (UniVessel SU 2 L).

Main Methods:

• Utilized Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) suspension cell line.
• Employed a wave-mixed BIOSTAT CultiBag RM 20 L for inoculum production.
• Employed a stirred UniVessel SU 2 L for recombinant protein production.
• Expressed human placental secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) as the target protein.

Main Results:

• Established protocols for inoculum and recombinant protein production using specific disposable bioreactor systems.
• Demonstrated the successful application of benchtop-scale disposable bioreactors for CHO cell culture.
• Validated the use of these systems for producing a specific recombinant protein (SEAP).

Conclusions:

• Disposable bioreactors, specifically wave-mixed and stirred types, are effective for benchtop-scale inoculum and protein production.
• The presented protocols offer practical guidance for researchers and manufacturers using these disposable systems.
• The study confirms the utility of disposable bioreactors in bioprocess development and manufacturing.