Dynamic culture of a hematopoietic stem cell model in small scale stirred tank bioreactor

Introduction Stem cells are known for their self- renewal properties. Due to the importance of stem cells in the treatment of diseases, their use for medical applications is very important. Objectives Static systems are not responsive and it is necessary to the development of dynamic systems (bioreactor). Among of the bioreactors, stirred bioreactors are simply used for design and construction for dynamic growth. Methods In this study, a bioreactor with optimal hydrodynamic conditions (a height of 6 cm, diameter of 6.5 cm and impeller diameter of 3.25 cm) was designed and built. Proliferation of blood stem cell model (U937) was compared at different impeller speeds (50 and 100 rpm) with static T- flask culture. Hydrodynamic parameters (integrated shear factor (ISF), maximum shear rate (τmax) and …) were calculated. The working volume of bioreactor in this study was 100 ml and the initial cell density was 1×105 cells/ml. Results The results showed that at 50 rpm, compared to the static culture, the final number of cells increased by 10%, and the finial number of cells in the bioreactor after 7 days reached 250 million cells, while the cells at 100 rpm in the bioreactor showed statistically and increase in proliferation as compared to the static cultures. This can be done to the high shear stress at 100 rpm as ISF was calculated 5.46 and 10.46 1/s at 50 rpm and 100 rpm, respectively. ConclusionGiven the need for at least 2×106 cells per kilogram for treatment of stem cell based blood diseases, the use of this bioreactor can have a good potential for the growth and proliferation of stem cells in the treatment of blood patients.

Keywords:

Stem cells , Stirred bioreactor , Proliferation , Impeller speed