Hybridoma growth and monoclonal antibody production in a dialysis perfusion system

Hybridoma cells were grown in perfusion culture using a stirred reactor within which a tubular membrane was suspended. Nutrient and product flows through the membrane to and from the culture environment occurred by diffusion processes alone. A mathematical model of the transfer and reaction process enabled both the characterization of a membrane mass transfer coefficient and the prediction of the maximum cell number achievable under set conditions. Steady states in cell concentration were observed for a range of perfusion rates and membrane areas. Steady states could be maintained for over 180 h without further addition of serum. Antibody was accumulated within the reactor to high concentrations, and at yields on both basal medium and serum that were many times those achieved in other forms of batch culture.