The 3D fluidized bed reactor for 3D tissue cultures
The new product “flow chamber bioreactor” of MDX for the cultivation of functional cells in the medical technology and pharmaceutical industries
Application of the flow chamber bioreactor in medicine and pharmaceutical research
MDX’s new fluidized-bed reactor was introduced in 2013 as a new product for the cultivation of functional cells and tissues in the medical technology and pharmaceutical industries. The fluidized-bed fermenter offers excellent possibilities for the cultivation of tissue and adherent cells that require an adhesive support for their growth. The cells can be used in various areas of medical, biotechnological, and pharmaceutical research and work. In medical research, they are used, among other things, in the cultivation of liver, cartilage, and flat skin cells, which can be further grown into larger cell cultures and also used in surgery. Tissue cultivation in the MDX fluidized-bed reactor takes place primarily in an incubator at optimal temperature and oxygen supply.
The cells are transferred to a support material and cultured. The medium is enriched with nutrients necessary for cell growth outside the flow chamber and pumped over the cells in the flow chamber. The used medium is removed from the chamber using a pump. The cells are ventilated directly by convection. This ensures that the tissue cells are optimally supplied with oxygen and nutrients and can continue to grow.
In the medical field, a few functioning autologous cells are removed during a biopsy. These cells are multiplied in a flask culture containing specific medium and transferred to special support surfaces made of flow, degradable polymers, or porous ceramic in the multi-well flow chamber. They are cultivated until tissue cultures with the appropriate properties develop. The resulting tissue cultures can be enzymatically detached from the support and further used.
The fluidized-bed bioreactor can be used in medical technology such as pharmaceutical research, for example. They are used, for example, in the production of eukaryotic proteins, monoclonal antibodies, and other cell components. They are also used with the help of special bacteria in preliminary environmental protection studies, e.g., in the degradation of pollutants in wastewater or soil.
.