Two chamber cell culture vessel

A method for growing human cells, said method comprising

• positioning a layer of human cells on a permeable support, said layer having a cell surface, and
• flowing culture medium across the cell surface to nourish the cells,
• wherein the cell surface is vertically oriented and is rotated about a horizontal axis which is normal to the cell surface, and
• the culture medium is flowed across the cell surface from a position on the horizontal axis,
• wherein the culture medium is confined to flow in a path adjacent to the cell surface, and
• wherein the cell surface forms an end of a generally cylindrical closed first chamber,
• said method further comprising directing culture medium away from the surface along a periphery of the first chamber.

A cell culture vessel comprising

• a front vessel half which define a front chamber,
• a back vessel half which defines a back chamber, said back chamber being generally cylindrical and having a longitudinal axis,
• said front vessel half being sealingly engageable with the back vessel half and coming together with said back vessel half so as to form an annular recess for receipt of a cylindrical sample cartridge rim defined by a periphery of a sample cartridge to separate the front chamber from the back chamber,
• at least one sample cartridge formed from a generally annularly shaped washer having generally cylindrical cartridge rim, a first end face and a second end face and a semipermeable membrane which is affixed to the first end face of the washer to form an end closure for a cell chamber defined inside of the washer, said sample cartridge being positioned in the cell culture vessel with the rim of the at least one generally cylindrical sample cartridge being positioned in the annular recess so as to separate the front chamber from the back chamber;
• a growth of secretor cells in one chamber,
• and means for collecting secretions from the secretor cells.

A method for using a bioreactor to produce a bioproduct, said method comprising

• providing a bioreactor constructed from a front vessel half which define a front chamber, a back vessel half which defines a back chamber, said back chamber being generally cylindrical and having a longitudinal axis, said front vessel half being sealingly engageable with the back vessel half and coming together with said back vessel half so as to form an annular recess for receipt of a cylindrical sample cartridge rim defined by a periphery of a sample cartridge to separate the front chamber from the back chamber,
• positioning a sample cartridge in the bioreactor, said sample cartridge formed from a generally annularly shaped washer having generally cylindrical cartridge rim, a first end face and a second end face and a semi-permeable membrane which is affixed to the first end face of the washer to form an end closure for a cell chamber defined inside of the washer, said sample cartridge being positioned in the cell culture vessel with the rim of the at least one generally cylindrical sample cartridge being positioned in the annular recess so as to separate the front chamber from the back chamber;
• growing secretor cells in one chamber, and
• collecting secretions from the secretor cells.