ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses the background, design and operational features, biological aspects, manufacturing considerations, and industrial potential for hollow fiber cell culture systems. A hollow fiber cell culture unit consists of a cylindrical bundle or a flat bed array of hundreds of such fibers, usually laid side-by-side, in an appropriate holder. In its simplest form a hollow fiber cell culture system consists, much like the Knazek design, of a culture unit, a medium reservoir, a pump, and tubing for recirculation of medium. The environmental conditions are apparently close to ideal in hollow fiber cell cultures. Microscopic examination of maturing cultures reveals that cells, which initially attach to the outer surfaces of the fibers, quickly invade the spongy wall matrices to the depths of the lumina and soon completely occupy all available interfiber spaces. Components of hollow fiber cell culture systems are compact, simple, and modular.