Continuous Production of Antibody Using a High-Density Hybridoma Bioreactor

A tubular membrane bioreactor (TMB) can provide two advantages including the highest surface area to volume ratio and the ability to recover antibodies simultaneously. If such reactors are used effectively, each reactor can produce several-hundred grams of antibody per year. This antibody yield is sufficient for commercial diagnostic kits or for initial animal testing. However, the monitoring of cell growth in TMB and the related process control for antibody production are lacked in the industry. Therefore, how to develop high cell-density hybridoma culture process, accurately assess cell growth, and understand the relationship between high cell-density environment and the quality of antibodies are of academic and industrial impacts. Three goals of this project are: (1) To develop a high cell-density hybridoma culture process by using a tubular membrane bioreactor and to compare the difference between TMB and agitated bioreactors. (2) To analyze the effects of the consumption rate of important nutrients and the production rate of metabolic wastes on the yield of antibody, and then to develop the medium strengthening formula. (3) To develop the optimal strategies for harvesting antibodies. The implementation of this study will help establish the high cell-density culture technology by using the TMB, and understand the important culture parameters and their relationship between antibody yield. Finally we aim to establish a robust and continuous platform for the production of high quality antibody.

Project ID:PB10608-3594
External Project ID:MOST106-2221-E182-050