High aspect reactor vessel and method of use

A cell culture system for growth of cells or aggregation of cells in suspension in a liquid culture media comprising:

• a culture housing having a first vertical side wall member, a second vertical side wall member and a cylindrically shaped outer wall therebetween so as to define a culture chamber disposed about a central horizontal axis of said outer wall, said culture chamber being constructed so as to receive cells in suspension in a liquid culture media where the cells have a defined oxygen absorption rate and the culture media has an oxygen transmissibility rate;
• means for revolving said culture chamber about said central horizontal axis;
• said first side wall member being constructed from an oxygen permeable material for permitting permeation of oxygen into the culture chamber from an exterior surface area of said first side wall member to an interior surface area of said first side wall member, said first side wall member further constructed and arranged so as to cause a mixing effect on the liquid in the chamber during rotation of the chamber;
• means for accessing oxygen to the exterior surface area of said first side wall member for permeation into said culture chamber;
• said culture chamber having a width dimension "W" of less than one inch between the interior surface areas of said side walls of said culture chamber where said width dimension "W" is a function of the oxygen transmissibility rate in the culture media to deliver oxygen across the width dimension "W" at the oxygen absorption rate of the cells in suspension;
• the second side wall of said culture chamber being constructed from a dialysis material for a dialysis exchange of culture media from an exterior surface area of second side wall to an interior surface area thereof;
• said housing having a cylindrical dialysis chamber disposed adjacent to the exterior surface area of said second side wall where said dialysis chamber contains a dialysate for exchange of waste material generated in said culture chamber with fresh nutrient from said dialysis chamber.

A method for growing cells in suspension or on anchorage substrates, of same or multiple cell types, as single free cells of 3-D aggregations in a culture medium comprising the steps of:

• providing a liquid culture media and cells in a cylindrical culture chamber having a width dimension "W" in a transverse horizontal direction of not less than 0.25 inch and not more than 1.0 inch and vertical wall members where one of said wall members is made of oxygen permeable material and has a circular interior wall surface with a diameter which is related to the rotational speed of the liquid culture about a horizontal axis for said wall surface, the cells and the culture media to be less than centripetal forces required to displace cells toward the circumference of said culture chamber;
• rotating said culture chamber about the horizontal axis for said wall surface at a rotational rate less than required to precipitate cells by centrifugal force toward the circumference of said culture chamber and sufficient for maintaining cells in suspension while supplying oxygen to said one wall member for transmission to said culture media;
• and
• maintaining the rotation of said culture chamber while supplying oxygen while said culture chamber is in an incubator for cell growth in suspension in said culture chamber.

A method for growing cells in suspension in a culture medium comprising the steps of:

• providing a liquid culture media and mammalian cells in a cylindrical culture chamber having a width dimension "W" in a transverse horizontal direction of less than one inch and vertical wall members where one of said wall members is made of oxygen permeable material and has a circular interior wall surface with a diameter which is related to the rotational speed of the liquid culture about a horizontal axis for said wall surface, the cells and the culture media to be less than centripetal forces required to displace cells toward the circumference of said culture chamber;
• rotating said culture chamber about the horizontal axis for said wall surface at a rotational rate less than required to precipitate cells by centrifugal force toward the circumference of said culture chamber and sufficient for maintaining cells in suspension while supplying oxygen to said one wall member for transmission to said culture media;
• and
• maintaining the rotation of said culture chamber while supplying oxygen while said culture chamber is in an incubator for cell growth in suspension in said culture chamber.

A cell culture system for growth of cells in suspension in a liquid culture media comprising:

• a culture housing having a first vertical side wall member, a second vertical side wall member and a cylindrically shaped outer wall therebetween so as to define a culture chamber disposed about a central horizontal axis of said outer wall, said culture chamber being constructed so as to receive cells in suspension in a liquid culture media where the cells have a defined oxygen absorption rate and the culture media has an oxygen transmissibility rate;
• means for revolving said culture chamber about said central horizontal axis;
• said first side wall member being from an oxygen permeable material for permitting permeation of oxygen into the culture chamber from an exterior surface area of said first side wall member to an interior surface area of said first side wall member;
• means for accessing oxygen to the exterior surface area of said first wall member for permeation into said culture chamber;
• and
• said culture chamber having a width dimension "W" of less than one inch between the interior surface area of said first wall member and the other wall of said culture chamber where said width dimension "W" is a function of the oxygen transmissibility rate in the culture media to deliver oxygen across the width dimension "W" at the oxygen absorption rate of cells disposed in said culture chamber.