Perfusion airlift bioreactor

• US 4,806,484 A
• Filed: 08/07/1987
• Issued: 02/21/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IGB Products Limited, Porox International Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: IGB Products Limited
• Inventors: Petrossian, Ashot, DeGiovanni, Andy
• Primary Examiner(s): Yeung, James C.
• Application Number:
  US07/082,536
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 261/36 R, 435/311, 435/286, 435/312, 435/314, 435/313, 435/315, 422/227, 422/231, 428/903, 428/902, 428/357, 428/398, 210/500.23
• US Class Current: 435/295.3
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 25/16 Particles; Beads; Granular material; Encapsulation chemical or physical processes conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles B01J8/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 29/02 Percolation
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 29/08 Air lift
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 29/10 Perfusion
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 47/10 Separation or concentration of fermentation products bioreactors combined with means for distillation or extraction of liquid fuel C12M43/02

Abstract

A perfusion airlift bioreactor system that consists of the bioreactor, a media reservoir and a molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) filter positioned between the media reservoir and the airlift bioreactor.

Claims

1. An apparatus for growing eukaryotic cells consisting essentially of:

(a) a two liter airlift bioreactor accomaditing eukaryotic cells in suspension, encapsulated or on microcarriers in a medium supporting cell growth,

(b) a 19 square foot 30,000 molecular weight cutoff hollow fiber bundle filter, positioned between said bioreactor and said media reservoir,

(c) pump means operably connected to said bioreactor and said filter for circulating said medium into the filter and returning said medium to the bioreactor,

(d) pump means operably connected to said filter and a 50 liter medium reservoir for circulating said medium from said reservoir to said filter and returning said medium to said medium reservoir,

(e) pump means operably connected to said bioreactor for admitting air into said airlift bioreactor for stirring the suspension of cells and medium whereby,

(f) the spent bioreactor medium containing product/s is dialyzed aganst a fresh reservoir medium through said hollow fiber filter.