Textiles for use in bioreactors for expansion and maintenance of cells

A bioreactor, comprising:

• (a) a housing having an inner side comprising:
• a gas introduction means integral to the housing;
• and a gas expiration means integral to the housing;
• (b) an array of a plurality of modules of textile vasculatures, residing within the housing, each module comprising:
• (i) a plurality of coaxial textile vasculatures, each having an inner side and an outer side, including an innermost textile vasculature and an outermost textile vasculature;
• (ii) a plurality of compartments, comprising:
• a first compartment defined by the inner side of the innermost textile vasculature;
• and
• (iii) at least one additional compartment defined by a respective annular space between adjacent fibers of the plurality of coaxial textile vasculatures;
• and
• (c) an outermost compartment defined by a space within the inner side of the housing which is not occupied by the plurality of modules,
• wherein the at least one additional compartment comprises a biodegradable polymeric material.

A serially-linked bioreactor, comprising a plurality of bioreactor subunits, each bioreactor subunit comprising:

• (a) a housing having an inner side and an outer side, said inner side comprising:
• a gas introduction means integral to the housing;
• and a gas expiration means integral to the housing;
• (b) an array of a plurality of modules of textile vasculatures, residing within the housing, each module comprising:
• (i) a plurality of coaxial textile vasculatures, each having an inner side and an outer side, including an innermost textile vasculature and an outermost textile vasculature;
• (ii) a plurality of compartments, comprising:
• a first compartment defined by the inner side of the innermost textile vasculature;
• and at least one additional compartment defined by a respective annular space between adjacent vasculatures of the plurality of coaxial textile vasculatures;
• and
• (c) an outermost compartment defined by a space within the inner side of the housing which is not occupied by the plurality of modules;
• and
• (d) at least one compartment of one bioreactor subunit linked serially to at least one compartment of at least one other bioreactor subunit,
• wherein the at least one additional compartment comprises a biodegradable polymeric material.