posted on 2017-11-16, 12:19authored byMartina Miotto, Ricardo Gouveia, Fadhilah Zainal Abidin, Francisco Figueiredo, Che J. Connon
To this day, the concept of continuous
bioprocessing has been applied
mostly to the manufacture of molecular biologics such as proteins,
growth factors, and secondary metabolites with biopharmaceutical uses.
The present work now sets to explore the potential application of
continuous bioprocess methods to source large numbers of human adherent
cells with potential therapeutic value. To this purpose, we developed
a smart multifunctional surface coating capable of controlling the
attachment, proliferation, and subsequent self-detachment of human
corneal stromal cells. This system allowed the maintenance of cell
cultures under steady-state growth conditions, where self-detaching
cells were continuously replenished by the proliferation of those
remaining attached. This facilitated a closed, continuous bioprocessing
platform with recovery of approximately 1% of the total adherent cells
per hour, a yield rate that was maintained for 1 month. Moreover,
both attached and self-detached cells were shown to retain their original
phenotype. Together, these results represent the proof-of-concept
for a new high-throughput, high-standard, and low-cost biomanufacturing
strategy with multiple potentials and important downstream applications.