Fixed Bed Reactors for the Cultivation of Mammalian Cells: Design, Performance and Scale-Up

Fixed-bed reactors have gained growing attention for the cultivation of mammalian cells. They allow for a low shear stress cultivation of adherent and non-adherent cells due to the immobilization of cells within macroporous carriers. Their potential has been demonstrated for many cell culture purposes. Some of the recent developments are presented in this review, including improved antibody production by hybridoma cells, high performance cultivation of a hepatoblastoma cell line and cultivation of cells for the production of retroviral vectors. Furthermore, criteria for the selection of process strategies and scale-up concepts are addressed.