Microcarrier-Facilitated Cultures for Fibroblastic and Epithelial Cells

Abstract

Microcarrier-facilitated cell culture is an established technique for the growth of anchorage-dependent mammalian cells on an industrial scale^1,2. In this approach, cells are propagated on the surface of small solid spheres, kept in suspension in the culture medium by slow stirring. Microcarriers must have the desired surface properties (wetability, surface charge, etc.) in order to support cell attachment and growth. They are non-toxic, non-rigid, transparent particles 100–220μ in diameter. Therefore, microcarrier cultures have the highest surface-to-volume ratio (S/V=150) of any other cell culture system. Furthermore, less labor, materials and media are required to produce a given quantity of cells in microcarrier cultures when compared to other systems. Microcarriers also have the best scale-up potential of any cell culture system3. Today microcarriers are used routinely on a large scale for the production of many important biologicals (viral vaccines, tissue type plasminogen activator and β-interferon). Institute Merieux produced inactivated polio and rabies vaccines in Vero cells using 1000 liter microcarrier cultures2.