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US 4,978,616 AGranted
Fluidized cell cultivation process
AssigneeVerax Corporation
InventorsRobert C. Dean, Jr., Peter V. Grela, Subhash B. Karkare, Peter W. Runstadler, Jr.
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Abstract
A fluidized bed reactor and reaction process, particularly well-suited for culturing cells, for example, for tissue culture and fermentation processes, are described which involve the treatment of at least a portion of the fluid exiting the fluidized bed reactor in a side loop in a manner to alter its temperature or composition, e.g., oxygenation, with recirculation of this treated fluid to the reactor as a portion of the fluid causing bed fluidization.
Claims15
A method for continuously culturing cells comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a reaction zone containing a bed of porous biocatalyst beads, said beads having immobilized therein microorganisms or cells;
- (b) fluidizing said bed of biocatalyst beads with a liquid nutrient medium,
- (c) separating said beads from liquid nutrient medium exiting one end of said reaction zone so that said beads remain in said reaction zone;
- (d) treating a portion of the separated liquid nutrient medium in a treatment zone, separate from the reaction zone, so as to alter the temperature or composition of the separated liquid;
- (e) recirculating said treated portion of the separated liquid nutrient medium back to said reaction zone as at least part of said liquid nutrient medium for fluidizing said bed of biocatalyst beads;
- (f) recovering another portion of said separated liquid nutrient medium as product;
- and
- (g) feeding fresh nutrient medium into said reaction zone at a rate equal to the recovery of separated liquid nutrient medium as product, said rate yielding a feed dilution rate above the maximum specific growth rate of said microorganisms or cells.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.