Characterization of a novel miniature cell culture device

Recent advancements in the field of microfluidics have generated much interest in the advent of a miniaturized cell culture device. In this study, we developed a novel miniature culture system ( < 1 mL ) for the continuous long-term cultivation of both anchorage dependent and suspension cells, either prokaryotic or eukaryotic in type, for both 1 g and microgravity applications. The miniature culture system may advance the development of microanalytical remote monitoring tools such as biological sentinels, biosensors, and lab-on-a-chip. Integrating the autonomous miniature culture system with a microanalytical device makes a powerful biological tool. Cells can be cultured long-term, harvested, and released directly into an analytical tool without the need for human interaction through fluid dynamic manipulations. This work characterizes the miniature bioreactor system through numerical and experimental proof of concept studies.