Bioreactors animal cell growth

The growth cycle for mammalian cells very closely resembles that of microbes. However, bioreactors for the culture of animal cells differ in several important respects from those employed in the culture of microorganisms, as well as from traditional fermentation equipment. These differences have their genesis in the nature of the walls that encapsulate the mammalian cells, especially the responses of these walls to shear stresses during culture. Indeed, some have suggested that because these walls are so thin relative to those of the bacteria and yeasts traditionally used in fermentation, it would be more appropriate to label the structure that differentiates the animal cell from its environment as a membrane rather than a cell wall. 

Martens DG. (1996) Growth and death of animal cells in bioreactors. Ph.D. Thesis, Univ. of Wageningen, the Netherlands. 

Tramper, J. J., D. Joustra, and J. M. Vlak (1987). Bioreactor design for growth of shear-sensitive insect cells, in Plant and Animal Cell Cultures Process Possibilities, C. Webb and F. Mavituna, eds., Ellis Horwood, Chichester, West Sussex, England, pp. 125-136. 

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