CELL CULTURE BIOREACTOR

TITLE CELL CULTURE BIOREACTOR INVENTORS David W. Armstrong L. Perry Fleming Deborah G. Grenzowski There is disclosed a cell culture apparatus particularly suitable for the culture of viable, shear sensitive cells, either grown in suspension or attached to a substrate such as microcarrier beads. The apparatus comprises a cell culture compartment and a compensation chamber disposed thereabove and serving to maintain sterile conditions for the cell culture compartment operating in a zero-headspace mode. The cell culture compartment comprises a gas exchange tube connected to an outside source of gas and defining a downflow zone and a central upflow zone in the cell culture compartment. An Archimedean screw-type auger is installed coaxially in the cell culture compartment to provide a circulating flow of liquid therein. The turbulence of the flow is reduced by the provision of an upper and lower flow guide surface. The gas exchange tube is adapted to exchange gas from outside with the liquid inside the cell culture compartment both on its outer and on its inner surface thereby enhancing the efficiency of gas exchange.