Microcarriers - Basic Techniques

1 g of Cytodex microcarrier has a surface area of 6000 cm and, used at a modest concentration of 2 g gives 12 000 cm H. This is equivalent to 8 large or 15 small roller bottles. 

Suspension culture systems, unlike bottles, etc., can be environmentally controlled and were optimized in the late 1960s to a minimum 100-1 capacity, i.e. a 1 X100-1 fermenter was equivalent to 800-1500 roller bottles. The scale-up potential is 10 0001 (for suspension cells), although currently only 40001 has been used for microcarrier culture. 

The availabihty of microcarriers has not only opened up industrial opportunities but also allowed the laboratory worker to produce substantial quantities of cells and cell products for research and development purposes. 

Cell and Tissue Culture Laboratory Procedures in Biotechnology, edited by A. Doyle and J.B. Griffiths. 1998 John Wiley Sons Ltd. 

Product name Manufacturer Type Surface area (cm2 g-i) Specific gravity 

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MICROCARRIERS - BASIC TECHNIQUES Table 5.8.1 Examples of microcarriers... 

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