In vitro cell culture employing a fibrin network in a flexible gas permeable container

A cell culture container comprising:

• a supporting container comprising a first side wall connected to a portion of an opposing second side wall along a peripheral seal to define a containment area, each side wall having an interior surface, the side walls are constructed from a multilayer gas permeable polymeric structure having a gas permeability sufficient to permit cellular respiration, and the multilayer polymeric structure comprising:
• a first layer comprising polystyrene having a thickness within the range of 0.0001 inches to about 0.0010 inches;
• and
• a second layer adhering to the first layer, the second layer comprising a polymeric material selected from the group consisting of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers, polyolefins, polyamides, polystyrene and hydrocarbon copolymers, the second layer having a thickness within the range of 0.004 inches to about 0.025 inches;
• and
• a fibrin matrix layer on a portion of the interior surface of the first side wall or the second side wall of the supporting container.

A method of culturing cells, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a flexible gas permeable container, the container comprising:
• a supporting container comprising a first side wall connected to a portion of an opposing second side wall along a peripheral seal to define a containment area, each side wall having an interior surface, the first side wall being constructed from a gas permeable material selected from the group consisting of:
• polymeric material, paper, and fabric, the first side wall having a gas permeability sufficient to permit cellular respiration, and the second side wall being constructed from a material selected from the group consisting of:
• polymeric material, paper, fabric, and foil;
• forming a fibrin matrix layer on a portion of the interior surface of at least one of the side walls of the supporting container;
• and
• introducing a cell line into the containment area of the container to allow the cells to attach to the fibrin matrix.